The Death of the Symbol: The Precession of Simulacra in Literature

Identifier

23

Author

David Nivens

Date

2014

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

English

Concentration

Literature

Committee Member

Donal Harris

Committee Member

Theron Britt

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the complications that arise in regard to postmodern social theories and their application to the unique qualities of fiction. Specifically, it regards French sociologist Jean Baudrillard's theory of the precession of simulacra, which asserts that signs are no longer original semiotic entities, but rather have been reproduced, counterfeited, and ultimately preceded by culturally established simulations--simulacra. This thesis first traces the precursors to Baudrillard's theory, clarifying how he adapts those sources. Then, through the works of Haruki Murakami, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Yukio Mishima, Franz Kafka, and Samuel Beckett, it analyzes how Baudrillard's theory applies to literary texts and how literature, which often makes its fictional nature obvious as a hyperreality, can raise questions about social theories of simulacra. Finally, I conclude that simulacra are natural aspects of fiction, preempting and existing in place of the typically regarded literary symbol.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

Recommended Citation

Nivens, David, "The Death of the Symbol: The Precession of Simulacra in Literature" (2014). Honors Theses. 17.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/honors_theses/17