Date
5-12-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
It is no secret that philosophy and literature are often closely intertwined: beginning with works as old as Plato’s dialogues, philosophers have always seen the merit in utilizing fiction to share philosophy with both their contemporaries and with the general public. The most prominent existentialists are perhaps the most famous for using literature as a vehicle for their philosophical ideas: Friedrich Nietzsche, Søren Kierkegaard, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre all published some kind of fiction, through parables, novels, plays, and so forth. Likewise, I will argue in this thesis that renowned writer David Foster Wallace was not only a writer—though his career choice reflects his status as an author, the works he produced reflect his status as a philosopher.
Department
Philosophy
Thesis Comittee
Dr. William J. Devlin, Thesis Advisor
Dr. Laura A. McAlinden, Committee Member
Dr. Gal Kober, Committee Member
Copyright and Permissions
Original document was submitted as an Honors Program requirement. Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Primak, Shoshana. (2020). The Existential Philosophy of David Foster Wallace. In BSU Honors Program Theses and Projects. Item 340. Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/honors_proj/340
Copyright © 2020 Shoshana Primak