dc.description.abstract | Acknowledged as one of most significant French writers of our time, Nathalie Sarraute was one of the pioneers of the Nouveau Roman genre of novel-writing. In 1968, Sarraute published the novel "Entre la vie et la mort" (Between Life and Death). As a result of her experimental style and abandonment of traditional literary conventions, "Entre la vie et la mort", like most of her work, was considered a difficult read. 15 years later, in 1983, Sarraute penned her only autobiography "Enfance" (Childhood). In contrast to her novels, Sarraute’s memoir is considered a much easier read. The aim of this dissertation is to illuminate her writing philosophy through these two literary works, as "Entre la vie et la mort" and "Enfance", although differing in genre, are the keys to decrypting the cipher of Nathalie Sarraute’s style.
Chapter one focuses on the replacement of traditional narration with textual voice. Through narratological and linguistic analysis of the fragmentary narrative and the differences and similarities in narration of "Entre la vie et la mort" and "Enfance", the features of Sarraute’s style and her stream of consciousness are discovered.
The emphasis of Chapter two is on the concept and significance of "between life and death" and "childhood". Through intertextuality, we explore the writing style blueprinted on childhood experience ─ "Childhood" : Literature "Between Life and Death".
Chapter three uses semantic structure to interpret Enfance. As the narrating child struggles with the definition of beauty and the image of the mother, Saurraute contradicts with the meaning of narration as it limits her literary expression. The disturbance in emotion is consistent to that of a life threatening situation.
From the print of "Entre la vie et la mort" to the publishing of "Enfance", Nathalie Saurrate slowly transforms traditional narrative models of character and plot to a novel of new. As a fable-like tone ambiences the textual voice, the literary subjectivity of the author is also highlighted. The intertextuality between the two works displays the desires and struggles of the indescribable, however, being a writer, having something indescribable is walking the line between life and death.
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