Rethinking remorse: Guilt, shame and modern identity.

摘要

Though human beings have always experienced self-doubt, my dissertation Rethinking Remorse: Guilt, Shame and Modern Identity attempts to show the changes in the nature of this phenomenon fostered by Modernist Literature's examination of traditional ethical standards. As the skepticism toward communally-held beliefs grew during the early part of the twentieth century, the process of introspection became focal to the most enduring work of this period. Modern writers attempted to evaluate the traditionally accepted principles of their society by reconsidering the emotional consequences of the decision to bypass these accepted norms.; In addressing such issues, these twentieth century novelists reexamined conventional ideals in light of certain historical events and intellectual developments within the High Modem Period. Their portrayals reflected the challenges faced by people who began to question their social responsibility in a world ostensibly governed by self-interest and violence. In searching for a source of ethical judgments more in keeping with wo(man's) natural fallability, these writers began to look beyond the ideas of nineteenth century philosophers like Jeremy Bentham, who posited innate altruism as the source of human impulses.; As both religious and non-religious writers began to recognize a potential contradiction between man's instincts and past standards of moral conduct, they looked more closely at the emotional consequences of the breach of social responsibility. The guilt over moral failure and the shame at the exposure of personal weakness so prevalent in modern literature appear as a reaction to behavior that characters believe themselves, validly or invalidly, unable to control. My analysis of literary depictions of feelings of guilt and shame focuses on modern characters' vulnerability to the influence of conventions and institutions. I examine these figures' responses to such authority in the absence of a realization of the potential for ethical conduct not motivated by traditional mores. My study of these authors illustrates that their characters' awareness of the source of these emotions will both ensure their characters' acceptance of their social responsibility and prevent their subjection to the arbitrary dictates of authority.