| The expectations of the behavior of real fathers and daughters in relation to each other, as well as literary depictions of this relationship, have differed greatly in various cultural settings. The texts studied here, however, present not actual father-daughter pairs, but, instead, centrally important relationships between a young woman and an older man who embodies characteristics attributable to a father, but who is not her father. This pairing of characters, the quasi father-daughter relationship, occurs in widespread types of texts--in canonical literary works, in texts representing popular culture, and (recently) in films.;Just as the bond between real fathers and daughters can be constructive or destructive, the same is true of quasi father-daughter relationships. An older man's fatherly gestures may derive from his genuine concern for a young woman's well-being, from legal obligations, or from inappropriate sexual interests. The young woman's motivations may based on respect and gratitude, or simply on the need to facilitate some phase of her own personal development.;In both psychological and literary studies, the quasi father-daughter relationship has generally been neglected. This dissertation demonstrates that the quasi father-daughter relationship is a compelling subject that writers in many different cultures have explored. Further, it has appealed to the widest audiences, for it appears in both classic masterpieces and works intended for popular consumption, and in literature for adults and literature for children. The importance of the motif is underscored here using interpretive paradigms from the father-daughter clinical studies of psychologists Elizabeth Fishel (The Men in Our Lives) and William Appleton (Fathers and Daughters).;After an Introduction (Chapter 1), Chapter 2 of this study demonstrates the literary popularity of the quasi father-daughter theme by presenting samples from a variety of cultures, eras, and genres. Chapter 3 illustrates the significance of this relationship by examining several recurrent patterns in its literary expression. Chapter 4 focuses on literary depictions of the influence of real father-daughter ties on the quasi father-daughter relationship. Chapter 5 identifies future research perspectives on this literary theme. |
