Date of Award
9-7-2023
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
At the center of Pain Transformed lies the human body and the experience of suffering, particularly in regard to the unexpectedly beneficial side-effects of pain. I examine depictions of suffering in the literature of eighteenth-century France, a period best understood as one of spirited debate and marked innovation: by way of personal letters, literary and philosophical works, coffee shops, and salons, intellectuals interacted with one another’s ideas in an attempt to redefine society. My focus is on a series of works that merge preoccupations with the body—the physiological processes of how and why people feel, both physically and emotionally—with the philosophical concepts of liberty and other natural rights, and reimaginings of and political balances of power. These loci give rise to a number of auteurs engagés who dedicate their pens to social and political reforms. Methodologically, I examine in turn a selection of texts by Voltaire, Diderot, and Sade, all of which build upon an instance of institutionalized suffering in order to demonstrate a need for change. I argue that these texts constitute acts of reform by illustrating painful injustices and eliciting responses of empathy, pity, and indignation. By way of innovative narrative techniques that appeal to emotion and reason, these texts model ways in which an author can inspire widespread change and transform suffering into a force for good.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Tili Cuillé
Recommended Citation
Seul, Anne, "Pain Transformed: The Salutary Effects of Suffering in Eighteenth-Century France" (2023). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3163.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/3163