Student Proposal

The Chaos Theory Applied to French Literature

Chaos theory is a new scientific theory that has two possible definitions: one is that order can come from chaos and the other is that order exists simultaneously within chaos. The theory has been applied to several fields outside the traditional realm of science, such as psychology, economics, and literature. I will be examining the second definition of chaos theory with respect to French literature, particularly Diderot's Jacques le Fataliste.

Jacques le Fataliste is particularly appropriate for this study as it has a chaotic structure itself. Characters seem to pop up out of nowhere and the stories are told in no particular order. Previous critical attempts to explain the work have resulted in only partial explanations. There are still many questions left unanswered such as what is Diderot's definition of the difference between truth and fiction? I hope to ultimately find the order within the chaotic narrative of Jacques le Fataliste.

My goals are to understand chaos theory as a scientific theory first and then as a literary theory. I will take a look at chaos theory while keeping in mind such literary theories as postmodernism and poststructuralism. Also, while analyzing Diderot's work I want to take a look at the culture and historical backgrounds of the author and of the work. I will then use the knowledge gained from a thorough reading in French of Jacques le Fataliste and careful research on chaos theory to formulate my own interpretations of the work and to see what chaos theory will say that other critical techniques don't.

Bibliography

Brady, Patrick. ìTheorie du chaos et structure narrative.î Eighteenth-Century Fiction. 4:1 (Oct. 1991): 43-51.

_____. ìEntropy or Negentropy? Chaos and Closure from Diderot to Desvignes.î Studies-on-Lucette-Desvignes-and-the-Twentieth-Century. 4 (1994): 157-64.

Crutchfield, James P., J. Doyne Farmer, Norman H. Packard, and Robert S. Shaw. ìChaos.î Scientific American. 255.6 (Dec. 1986): 46-57

De la Carrera, Rosalina. Success in Circuit Lies: Diderot's Communicational Practice. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1991.

De Vos, Wim. ìLa Narration est-elle un acte libre? La Metalepse dans Jacques le Fataliste.î Les Lettres-Romanes. 44. (Feb-May 1990): 1-13.

Diderot, Denis. Jacques le Fataliste et Son Maitre. Paris-Bruxelles-Montreal: Bibliotheque Bordas: 1974.

Fichera, Virginia M. ìAllegory and the Performative in Jacques le Fataliste. Allegory Revisited: Ideals of Mankind. Dordrecht: Kluwer Acad. Under auspices of World Inst. for Advanced Phenomenological Research and Learning, 1994.

Gardner, Jennifer. ìNarrative Limits and the Quest for Truth in Diderot's Jacques le Fataliste.î Tropos. 21 (Spring 1995): 5-12.

Hawkins, Harriet. Strange Attractors: Literature, culture and chaos theory. London: Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf: 1995.

Hayles, N. Katherine. The Cosmic Web: Scientific Field Models and Literary Strategies in the Twentieth Century. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1984.

_____. Chaos Bound: Orderly Disorder in Contemporary Literature and Science. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1990.

_____, ed. Chaos and Order: Complex Dynamics in Literature and Science. Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 1991.

Highnam, David. ìJacques le Fataliste: Narrative Structure and New Physics.î Man and Nature. 2 (1984): 15-16.

Inagaki, Masahisa. ìUne Etude sur l'instabilité narrative de Jacques le fataliste.î Etudes de Langue et Litterature Francaises. 58 (Mar. 1991): 75-90.

Loy, J. Robert. Diderot's Determined Fatalist. Columbia University, NY: King's Crown Press, 1950.

Nicholls, James C. ìToward a Chronology of Jacques le fataliste.î Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth-Century. 311 (1993): 61-84.

Peterson, Ivars. ìThe Shapes of Cities: Mapping Out Fractal Models of Urban Growth.î Science News. 149 (1996): 8-9.

Pruner, Francis. L'unité secrète de Jacques le Fataliste.î Paris: Lettres Modernes, 1970.

Terrasse, Jean. ìAspects de l'espace-temps dans Jacques le fataliste.î Eighteenth-Century Fiction. 6:3 (Apr. 1994): 43-57.

Vidal, Kathryn Simpson. ìDiderot and Reader Response Criticism: The Case of Jacques le fataliste.î Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture 15. (1986): 33-45.

My research is pertinent to the projects of my advisor. He has recently had five articles on chaos theory and the eighteenth-century author, Voltaire, accepted for publication. He intends to branch out, however, and study other eighteenth-century authors with respect to chaos theory. A study of Diderot's Jacques le Fataliste would be especially helpful to his further studies in eighteenth-century literature and chaos theory.

Tentative Schedule

Present ñ June: Complete a thorough reading of Jacques le fataliste.

Week 1: Begin work on biographical research of Denis Diderot and historical research of his culture and contemporaries.

Week 2: Start articles on chaos theory, talk to science professors.

Week 3: Continue study of chaos theory as a scientific theory. Begin books on chaos theory as a literary theory.

Week 4: Finish books and articles on chaos theory. Summarize findings.

Week 5: Begin articles of literary criticism on Jacques le fataliste.

Week 6: Finish articles on Jacques le fataliste. Summarize findings. Begin books on Jacques le fataliste.

Week 7: Continue reading of literary criticisms.

Week 8: Finish up readings. Summarize findings. Start pulling together all of the information.

Week 9: Continue analysis of discoveries. Begin write up of research.

Week 10: Continue analysis and writing. Complete write up of research.

Faculty Letter of Support