Emptiness and tragedy of human existence in the work of Marguerite Duras Cover Image

La vanité et le tragique existentiel dans l’œuvre durassienne
Emptiness and tragedy of human existence in the work of Marguerite Duras

Author(s): Anna Ledwina
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Studies of Literature, Comparative Study of Literature, French Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, Instytut Filologii Romańskiej & Wydawnictwo Werset
Keywords: Duras; emptiness; despair; misfortune; death

Summary/Abstract: Duras’s work is a deep reflection on the emptiness of the human condition. In her works, a man realizes his/her inability to live in a senseless, unfriendly world in which all efforts to change the course of events or improve fate turn out to be futile. Therefore they express senselessness of any activity or commitment of the individual as confronted with the cruelty of fate. This state of affairs results from the inseparable connection between life and death inscribed in human nature. The works by Duras reflect the end of the world so perceived and the absurd manifestations of the inevitable disaster. In this dramatic way, the author shows the tragedy of human existence associated, in particular, with the despair of suffering and injustice. The protagonists who are powerless and lost in precarious reality submit passively to unrelenting fate.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 8
  • Page Range: 140-152
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: French