Defense Date
8-22-2016
Graduation Date
Fall 1-1-2016
Availability
Worldwide Access
Submission Type
dissertation
Degree Name
PhD
Department
Philosophy
School
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts
Committee Chair
Frederick Evans
Committee Member
Silvia Benso
Committee Member
Michael Harrington
Abstract
In this dissertation, I argue that Giambattista Vico (1668-1744), most famously considered a philosopher of history, is above all a philosopher of narration. I unfold Vico’s narrative response to and rejection of traditional philosophical discourse; through relating the story of himself and the story of mankind, Vico demonstrates that storytelling gives birth to the human self and world. Furthermore, I emphasize the ontological import of narrative, often overlooked, in his two major works, The Autobiography of Giambattista Vico and The New Science. Finally, I conclude by showing the relevance of Vico’s pedagogical call to cultivate the child’s narrative imagination in childhood education today. It is my contention that Vico’s narrative art can revive the lost art of storytelling and make possible our own recovery of narratable selves.
Format
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Ragusa, A. (2016). Vico's Narrative Art: From the Forests to the Academies (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/42