Artikel
"La Princesse de Clèves" and the refusal of love : heroic denial or pathetic sumission?
Verfasst von:
Brady, Valentini Papadopoulou
in:
Neophilologus
Dordrecht [u.a.]:
2000
,
517 - 530 S.
Weitere Informationen
| Einrichtung: | Ariadne | Wien |
|---|---|
| Verfasst von: | Brady, Valentini Papadopoulou |
| In: | Neophilologus |
| Jahr: | 2000 |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Beschreibung: | |
| Why does the heroine of the novel choose solitude and death instead of love an life? Interpretations of theis refusal have varied with the times and the individual readers and critics, though they mostly seem to follow two main lines of approach: a) the heroine is facing a "Cornelian" dilemma, torn between love and duty, and chooses to follow the latter; her abnegation is therefore the result of an admirable willpower. b) She is a self-centered woman, incapable of loving, concerned more about her image than about feelings. Some critics have also noted her fear of being hurt at the possible loss of love, which she expresses so eloquently herself, but this mostly describes rather than attempts to understand the hidden reasons that dictate the heroine's behavior. Using some principles taken from the field of Transactional Analysis, a method of psychoanalysis elaborated by the psychiatrist Eric Berne, this essay will propose another interpretation which will lead to a new and different understanding of the heroine's choice. The main theory used is that of life scripts, which are a kind of blueprint for life decided by the individual under the influence of mostly parental directives and restrictions. The text shows abundant proof of such powerful conditioning of the young heroine, especially from her mother, which makes her decide to refuse the Duc de Nemours, retire in a convent and die shortly afterwards at a very young age. From this perspecitve, Mlle de Chartres is then seen not as a heroic character, but as a passive victim who succumbs to inner forces too powerful for her to overcome. | |
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