In bed with Kierkegaard

Valkanou, Theodora (2025) In bed with Kierkegaard. DFA thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

For the creative part of this thesis, I have submitted a novel in the genre of autofiction, titled In Bed with Kierkegaard. It is a fictionalised account of my initiation in a BDSM community in Athens, Greece, between the years 2007 – 2009, and an account of a long-distance relationship I developed with a dominant man, with the nickname Morpheus. The themes of the novel are: domination/submission and sadism/masochism in our modern digital age, the quest for a female identity defined by sexuality, and writing erotic memoirs. The novel is based on detailed notes kept during the narrated events and follows closely on the advice on seduction offered by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in the text, The Seducer’s Diary.

The critical part of this thesis provides a background account of writing a novel of autofiction on sadomasochism and seeking its publication. It also provides a comparative analysis of two literary works on similar themes, Dominique Aury’s Story of O, and Garth Greenwell’s Cleanness, especially as they pertain to the way in which erotic fantasy encroaches on reality, as well as the quest for what Kierkegaard called a ‘God-relationship’: a love and devotion so deep it may offer one a sense of transcendence beyond the limitations of human existence as grounded on the quotidian.

• Item Type: Thesis (DFA)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General); P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0080 Criticism
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Herd, Dr. Colin and Miller, Dr. Gavin
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-84917
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 25 Feb 2025 11:10
• Last Modified: 25 Feb 2025 11:13
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84917
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84917