Dans le miroir des mots: identite feminine et relations familiales dans l'oeuvre romanesque de Marguerite Duras

by Kelsey L. Haskett

This critical study, 'Dans le miroir des mots...,' examines in detail the relationship between the author, Marguerite Duras, her life, and her family, as expressed in ten of her novels. Each of the chapters of 'Dans le miroir des mots' concentrates on a different role played by the female characters within their family structure, thus revealing the similarities between the characters who are reduced, in the end, to certain key personality types. The last chapter deals not only with the narcissistic tendencies of these character but also with their desire to go beyond the 'mirror' and the world of appearances to discover an absolute of love and existence which they are never able to attain. Finally, by studying the identity of Duras' female characters, Professsor Haskett attempts to decode the narratrive mirror into which Duras spent her entire life gazing. Written in French.

546 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2011