Nihilism: A Study of Similarities in Albert Camus’s The Stranger (1942) and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club (1996).
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Date
2018
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Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
This dissertation is a comparative study of two well known works: The Stranger
(1942) by Albert Camus and Fight Club (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk. This research has shown
that both authors have used consciously or unconsciously Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of
Nihilism to describe the breakdown of modernity, and the devaluation of the highest values of
the Christian and Hellenic civilization of the modern era despite the difference of language.
The study is divided according to the Nietzschean order of his three types of nihilism:
religious, radical, and complete nihilism. Looking for the similarities within The Stranger and
Fight Club, I have located these three types of nihilism in relation to the setting and
characterization, along with the psychological, sociological, individual and social levels. The
first chapter has revealed that western Christian civilization endures religious nihilism and
shows religious nihilists. The second chapter has exposed radical nihilism as a reaction to the
dominance of Christianity and Platonism on the individual life in modern times and
demonstrates radical (passive and active) nihilists, essentially both antiheroes of both novels.
The third chapter has disclosed complete nihilism aspects and attempts to affirm life. Thus,
nihilism is a progressive element of western culture and civilization. I have developed a
Nietzschean systematic interpretation of nihilism in Camus’s and Palahniuk’s literary works.
This study has sheds light on the impact of Nietzsche’s conception of nihilism on modern
literature. Moreover, it has helped to deal with the variety of postmodern theories of nihilism
within contemporary literature since Nietzschean thought constitutes one of the major
foundations of modern literary criticism.
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30cm ; 72p.
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Citation
Littérature Générale et Comparée.