Date of Award
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Wallace, Miriam
Area of Concentration
Philosophy and Literature
Abstract
In this thesis I explore what I call the problem of falsification by means of the narrative form. First, I discover the problem of falsification through a motivated interpretation of two of Søren Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous writings: Fear and Trembling (1843) and Repetition (1843). This entails looking at the formal structure and implications of the problem on its own terms. I then propose a solution to the problem of falsification in the form of Marcel Proust’s novel À la recherche du temps perdu (1913-1927). I argue that Proust’s Recherche constitutes a full solution to the problem of falsification insofar as it discloses aspects of an authentic human experience of time. Chapter II features an inquiry into what exactly an authentic human experience of time means using Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous works Repetition and The Concept of Anxiety (1844). In Chapter III, I use the conclusions of Chapter II alongside a reading of Martin Heidegger’s essay The Origin of the Work of Art (1950) to interpret Proust’s Recherche with an aim to demonstrate the precise way in which it constitutes a full solution to the problem of falsification.
Recommended Citation
Yeckley, Trevor, "THE PROBLEM OF FALSIFICATION AND ITS SOLUTION IN MARCEL PROUST’S RECHERCHE" (2021). Theses & ETDs. 6171.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6171