‘Fire From Olympus, Apples From Eden’: creativity and dissent in the work of Olive Moore

Abstract

This thesis examines the correlation that Olive Moore draws between creation and dissent and how this is articulated through her formulation of the ‘Creative Artist’. This thesis assesses how Moore’s theorisation of the ‘Creative Artist’ enables her to distil an artistic methodology and develop a definitive account of the necessary conditions of creativity. By examining Moore’s conception of dissent through analysis of the mythological foundations of her creative philosophy, this thesis identifies how Moore theorises dissent as a form of progressive resistance, intent on subverting pre-existing dominant social conditions and enacting a transformative re-conception of intellectual values. This methodology enables a critical interpretation of Moore’s conception of the transformative potential of the ‘Creative Artist’, whose capacity for dissent confirms their ability to reinvigorate intellectual progressivism and formulate a redemptive transformation of social values through their art. The first chapter considers the philosophical, political, and scientific influences that inform Moore’s prioritising of dissent as a means to social revolution. By tracing the impulse for dissent through Moore’s libertarian, anarchist politics, her interest in Nietzschean philosophy, and her vitalist, physiological rendering of embodied potential, this thesis identifies the conceptual framework that informs her creative philosophy. The subsequent chapters then turn to Moore’s novels, Celestial Seraglio (1929), Spleen (1930), and Fugue (1932) and her non-fiction publication The Apple is Bitten Again (1934). These chapters identify Moore’s developing creative philosophy as it advances through the novels. As a whole, this thesis provides a critical reinterpretation of Moore’s complete works and assesses the relationship that Moore identifies between dissent and creativity as a central component of her creative project, as demonstrated throughout each of her novels.

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ORCID for Sheila Hanson: orcid.org/0000-0003-4641-9483

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