Morality, sexuality and conformity Diderot's outsiders penetrate foreign societies /

by Miller, Amanda K.

MORALITY, SEXUALITY AND CONFORMITY: DIDEROT’S OUTSIDERS PENETRATE FOREIGN SOCIETIES by Amanda K Miller This thesis compares two fictional accounts by Denis Diderot, examining how outsiders behave in foreign societies. The moral of the first story, Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville—it is best to abide by the rules of the society in which you live, even if you disagree—is first established, then applied to the second, more lengthy novel La Religieuse, where the title character ignores this idea of conformity with disastrous results. The possible motivations behind her ambivalent behavior are examined in an attempt to understand and explain her self-destructive stubbornness.