The Application of Derrida's Ideas of Mourning and deferral of meaning to Brontes's Shirley and Villette

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2012

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Ronaghzadeh, Samindokht

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This thesis will try to carry out a Derridean approach to Charlotte Brontë's two last, important, and mature novels: Shirley and Villette. From among all Derridean concepts, the idea of deferral of meaning and mourning are chosen to be investigated through close reading of the selected novels. The aim is to make clear the unexplored thoughts, meanings and feelings found in Brontë's texts, using Derrida's philosophical ideas as a tool. Many interpretations will be exposed for the progression of the stories in Shirley and Villette, and for the nature of the characters, both men and women. This process will demonstrate the endless deferral of meaning and the way the characters mourn for the eternal absence of those they love. The thesis is not just about the deferral of Brontë's intended meaning, but also about the deferral of the meanings of all words and concepts which ultimately make the meaning unattainable or always absent.

Subject Keywords

Mourning customs in literature.

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http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614845/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/21825

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

S. Ronaghzadeh, “The Application of Derrida’s Ideas of Mourning and deferral of meaning to Brontes’s Shirley and Villette,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2012.