360 Degrees of Convergence and Separation: Hermeneutics and Reader Response Theory in Mark Z. Danielewski's Only Revolutions.

Abstract

My thesis tries to uncover the mechanisms which account for the craze around the work of author Mark Z. Danielewski. His first novel, House of Leaves, earned him an extensive only fanbase and with Only Revolutions we see quite the same developments. My focus is on Only Revolutions because Danielewski himself had said that this work could not succesfully be analyzed by literaty theory on the grounds that the tools to examine it with had yet to be invented. I, however, saw great opportunities in using reader response theory and hermeneutics and was able to get through the complex surface structure of the circular novel in order to lay bare the blueprint that captivates its readers in a quite fascinating way.