Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
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 prese...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Department of English Language and Literature
2016
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613146278002688 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Gevers, Nicholas David |
| author2 | Cartwright, John F |
| author_browse | Cartwright, John F Gevers, Nicholas David |
| author_facet | Cartwright, John F Gevers, Nicholas David |
| author_sort | Gevers, Nicholas David |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | 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. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/21971 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:30.019Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Department of English Language and Literature |
| publisherStr | Department of English Language and Literature |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/21971 A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe Gevers, Nicholas David Cartwright, John F English Language and Literature Science Fiction 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. 2016-09-28T19:03:11Z 2016-09-28T19:03:11Z 1991 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21971 eng application/pdf Department of English Language and Literature Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | English Language and Literature Science Fiction Gevers, Nicholas David A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe |
| title_full | A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe |
| title_fullStr | A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe |
| title_full_unstemmed | A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe |
| title_short | A study of the major science fiction works of Gene Wolfe |
| title_sort | study of the major science fiction works of gene wolfe |
| topic | English Language and Literature Science Fiction |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21971 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT geversnicholasdavid astudyofthemajorsciencefictionworksofgenewolfe AT geversnicholasdavid studyofthemajorsciencefictionworksofgenewolfe |