A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe

This thesis examines three major works by the American Science Fiction and Fantasy writer Gene Wolfe (Eugene Rodman Wolfe, 1931-). The central argument of this thesis is that in The Fifth Head of Cerberus (1972), the 'New Sun' cycle of novels (1980- 1987), and Soldier of the Mist (1986), Wolfe presents the human desire for knowledge of the Self and of God and the near-impossibility of attaining this knowledge. Wolfe expresses obstacles to knowledge and fulfilment in his created fictional worlds, in the characters of his protagonists, and in the complicated narrative structures that distinguish all three texts. By converting the stable and reassuring world of conventional Science Fiction into a realm of uncertainty, ambiguity, and spiritual and cognitive confusion, Wolfe radically subverts the genre and exposes it to a new subtlety and flexibility.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of English Language and Literature

Year dc:date.issued

1991

Author dc:creator

• Gevers, Nicholas David

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cartwright, John F

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21971

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/21971