Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 12-18-2018

Abstract

The research seeks to identify the purpose of nostalgia within Alan Moore’s Watchmen. The characters Laurie Juspeczyk and Adrian Veidt look to the past for truth and inspiration, whereas Dr. Manhattan stands as a figure rejecting the past as humans perceive it. Laurie and Adrian seek to regain the feelings held by the past, but are met with the grim state of the present. Each of these characters has a specific relationship with the past that shapes their perceptions on life as they know it. To figure out why Laurie and Adrian hold onto nostalgia and why Dr. Manhattan repudiates the concept, Friedrich Schiller’s thoughts on nature will stand as the theoretical basis for this essay and will be applied to the teachings of thinkers such as Judith Butler, John Stuart Mill, and Scott McCloud. By incorporating the thoughts of these intellectuals, and others, nostalgia’s role in the life of each character will be hypothesized and placed in conversation with Moore’s text.

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