Abstract

Chuck Palahniuk is a contemporary American writer whose novels have been adapted into acclaimed Hollywood motion pictures. Palahniuk’s literary style is often branded as modernist with nihilistic undertones. In spite of such views, in this article, we argue that through a close reading of Palahniuk and a critical interpretation of the recurrent themes in his novels, one can find traces of Epicurean philosophy echoed through the ages. Though different in means, both Palahniuk and Epicurus seem to highlight the importance of and the strive for achieving a state of ataraxia through overcoming fear and aponia through transcending physical pain and torment. After providing an introduction to Epicurean thought and Palahniuk’s style and works, connections will be established between the various shared elements and themes

Highlights

  • Throughout history, numerous ideologies and philosophical perspectives have emerged; aiming to shed light upon the mysteries of human existence

  • Reviewing the long list of by-gone ideologies, one tends to confront patterns of similitude and the resurfacing of seemingly forgotten notions. This can possibly be attributed to patterns or images of repeated human experience which Jung terms archetypes (D. & Jung, 1979)

  • We seek to argue that the ideas of ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC) can be traced in the works of contemporary American author, Chuck Palahniuk

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Throughout history, numerous ideologies and philosophical perspectives have emerged; aiming to shed light upon the mysteries of human existence. According to Bernaerts (2009), delirium/delusion becomes the engine of the textual dynamics in Fight Club and progresses the narrative, and is a more determining and actual factor than the supposed real world (in a context of literary postmodernism) She believes that the narrator has projected all the qualities he can only wish for, alongside the repressed inner reality in his delirious figure, Tyler Durden. A fresh perspective through which one can attain a more focused, and hopefully, more accurate view of Palahniuk‟s fictional world seems necessary To achieve this goal, we have taken a long step back from modernity into the past and examined how Palahniuk‟s overarching themes and philosophical outlook (detached from the modern-day American context) can possibly be traced back to that of Greek philosopher Epicurus, writing as early as the 4th century B.C

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