Abstract
This paper argues that the author’s preference for solitude in Bryce Andrew’s Badluck Way is essentially hedonistic in nature. Solitude constitutes human existence and experience. The concept of ‘pain and pleasure’ predicates hedonism. The intersectionality between experiential solitude and hedonism is unfortunately inconceivable despite a plethora of discourse including literature. In numerous literary texts, solitude has been the pivotal entry point to ascertain and expound both fictional and nonfictional characters’ actions and behaviours. The same can be said about hedonism. However, there is little to no literary studies conducted to explore the common linkage between solitude and hedonistic views. Fred Feldman’s (2004) Attitudinal Hedonism theory and his six Intrinsic Attitudinal Pleasure features underpinned the study. Findings disclosed that many pleasure taking aspects in solitude are inherently hedonistic. Selected excerpts revealed that hedonism and pleasure taking played a predominant role in asserting the author’s predilection for solitariness. This paper responds to the need for investigation of the singularisation of solitude-hedonism concept as a means of heightening interdisciplinary awareness and enabling inter-discourse studies of literary and philosophical scholarship alike.
Highlights
IntroductionThis paper focuses on Ranch Literature, a sub-genre encompassing literatures that deal with ranching in the American West. Pritchett (2004) notes that the genre fundamentally concerns literature that has a ranch as its primary setting, or which takes ranch life as a primary theme, as well as literature categorised as nature writing that concerns ranching or ranch life. Pritchett (2004) highlights the emergent themes: connection to particular places; connection to the community living in such places; and connection to the existing culture within that place and community from this genre.Ranch Literature branches off from nature writing that has emerged as the most “lively field of American Literature” (Lyon, 2001, p. 131) as evidenced by the sudden primary texts increase and serious scholarly attention drawn to the genre (Pritchett, 2004) especially during the second half of the twentieth century
This paper studies interdisciplinarity of solitude, hedonism and literature in a nonfiction by Bryce Andrews
Using the theory of Intrinsic Attitudinal Hedonism and the six intrinsic attitudinal pleasure features, the study demonstrates the common linkage between voluntary retreat and hedonism in literary discourse
Summary
This paper focuses on Ranch Literature, a sub-genre encompassing literatures that deal with ranching in the American West. Pritchett (2004) notes that the genre fundamentally concerns literature that has a ranch as its primary setting, or which takes ranch life as a primary theme, as well as literature categorised as nature writing that concerns ranching or ranch life. Pritchett (2004) highlights the emergent themes: connection to particular places; connection to the community living in such places; and connection to the existing culture within that place and community from this genre.Ranch Literature branches off from nature writing that has emerged as the most “lively field of American Literature” (Lyon, 2001, p. 131) as evidenced by the sudden primary texts increase and serious scholarly attention drawn to the genre (Pritchett, 2004) especially during the second half of the twentieth century. Pritchett (2004) notes that the genre fundamentally concerns literature that has a ranch as its primary setting, or which takes ranch life as a primary theme, as well as literature categorised as nature writing that concerns ranching or ranch life. Ranch Literature branches off from nature writing that has emerged as the most “lively field of American Literature” Since the 1960s, nature writing has broadened its focus to include rural and agricultural environments (Scheese, 1996). Pritchett (2004) explains nature writers explore “the ethical commitments to stewardship and examination of land use issues” The American nature writing discourse has grown with immense contribution from writers with an agricultural stance (Lyon, 2001)
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