Since its emergence in the mid-19th century Europe, the Nihilist movement transcended the literary realm and established itself as a significant ideology with philosophical and political valence. This paper traces the evolution of the literary nihilist hero from Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" to Dostoevsky's "Demons" and Camus' "The Stranger." By comparing and contrasting each nihilist's attitude towards love, rebellion and death, this research demonstrates the hero's inability to bear the burden of responsibility in the world he negates but is unable to reconstruct.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Muraj, Evald

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-030711-045620

Advisor

• Nikitina, Svetlana

Year

• 2011

Date created

• 2011-03-07

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Humanities & Arts

Rights statement

• In Copyright