Untitled - Sexey's School Moodle

The concept of transgression in literary discourse is deconstructed in Chapter
Two, “Shock, Scandal, and Subversion: A Deconstructive Analysis of Transgression,”
where transgressive literature is considered as a potential indicator and/or instrument of
underlying changes in art, culture, and society. Commencing with a standard definition
of transgression as that which breaks established norms and conventions, the chapter will
examine what happens when, as a result of shifting conditions, these conceptions are de-
centered. In parallel, since transgression as a theoretical concept has been marshaled by
theorists such as Roland Barthes, Georges Bataille, and Michel Foucault, a reworking of
the standard definition will prove necessary before establishing a framework under which
transgressive works can be discussed and analyzed. Following the work of these critics
as well as the contributions of Stephen Greenblatt and Anthony Julius, this chapter will
conclude by investigating the corollaries between the poetics and politics of
transgression, how the literary characteristic of transgression suggests that works of art
can act subversively in order to contribute to paradigm shifts both in academia and
society.
The third chapter, titled “Worlds Collide: A Historical Approach to Canon
Formation in Matthew Lewis’ The Monk,” will explore under which evolving conditions
the cultural capital of a work deemed to be transgressive, both on the grounds of genre
and moral content, is reappraised. By reviewing various secondary sources, the chapter
will begin with a brief description of the genre of the Gothic novel, before moving to a
review of the reception of Matthew Lewis’ The Monk in the late eighteenth century.
Drawing from various sources such as Michael Gamer and James Watt, this section will
demonstrate that although immediately popular, Lewis’ novel was not reviewed
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