Pathos : a metaphoric exploration of cannibalistic, gluttonous and consumptive impulses in fiction writing

For the purposes of this exegesis, I focus on three specific aspects of my self ― cannibalism, of self (autophagia) and others, gluttony and consumption ― and demonstrate how these three nouns, when used as metaphors, operate within fictional writing, by examining them in relation to my thesis novel Pathos. To conduct this examination, the developed metaphors of autophagia / cannibalism, gluttony and consumption are applied to three distinct yet intertwined concepts in the writing of the thesis novel Pathos. These concepts comprise: the self and the writer in narrative fiction; narrative choice and narration, and the implications of desire within Pathos. I have chosen these particular metaphors and concepts, as I consider they offer fresh insight into the novel writing process and into the interactions between writer, characters and themes. I demonstrate how each metaphor and concept operates separately in my own work, as well as how each ‘feeds’ off the other in a circular fashion. My intention is to foreground the ways in which the writing process can ultimately cannibalise, gluttonise and consume itself.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Victoria University

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• de Koning, Nicole

• 1904 Performing Arts and Creative Writing
• School of Communication and the Arts
• 2005 Literary Studies

Language dc:language

en