Relativity In Transylvania And Patusan: Finding The Roots Of Einstein’s Theories Of Relativity In Dracula And Lord Jim
Tatum, Brian Shane
Peters, John G.
Matteson, Samuel
Holdeman, David
University of North Texas
2011-12
English
This thesis investigates the similarities in the study of time and space in literature and science during the modern period. Specifically, it focuses on the portrayal of time and space within Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim (1899-1900), and compares the ideas presented with those later scientifically formulated by Albert Einstein in his special and general theories of relativity (1905-1915). Although both novels precede Einstein’s theories, they reveal advanced complex ideas of time and space very similar to those later argued by the iconic physicist. These ideas follow a linear progression including a sense of temporal dissonance, the search for a communal sense of the present, the awareness and expansion of the individual’s sense of the present, and the effect of mass on surrounding space. This approach enhances readings of Dracula and Lord Jim, illuminating the fascination with highly refined notions of time and space within modern European culture.
Relativity
modernist
literature
Dracula
Lord Jim
space
time
Public
Tatum, Brian Shane
Copyright
Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.
Thesis or Dissertation
Text
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc103399/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc103399