Death as a psychological crisis : an analysis of death in Les Thibault

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Faye Richardson Clayton (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Roch Smith

Abstract: It was the purpose of this thesis to determine the extent to which the major deaths in Les Thibault involved psychological crises. In order to identify the context of any such psychological crisis, a preliminary discussion was included on the social implications of death. Oscar Thibault was presented as an archetype of the nineteenth-century bourgeois father in contrast with his two sons, Jacques and Antoine, who represent the twentieth-century spirit of France. A detailed analysis of the individual deaths of the three Thibaults was made, along with a parallel study of The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy. Results of the study showed that each of the characters analyzed experienced a psychological crisis in the face of death. This crisis served to either validate or invalidate the individual's value system. The overall effect of the individual crisis was characterized by a generally pessimistic outlook upon man's human condition. Les Thibault was seen as making an early and significant contribution to the treatment of death in twentieth-century French literature.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1973
Subjects
Martin Du Gard, Roger, $d 1881-1958 $x Criticism and interpretation
Martin Du Gard, Roger, $d 1881-1958. $t Thibault
Death in literature
French literature $y 20th century

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