André Malraux: The «Farfelu» as Expression of the Feminine and the Erotic (American University Studies) - Hardcover

Radulescu, Domnica

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0820422967 ISBN 13: 9780820422961

Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 1994

Synopsis

Be it in the light fantastic of his early work, or the classic tragedy of La Condition humaine, or sensuous poetry of the Antimémoires, André Malraux uses «farfelu» and related discourses to represent, not the simple «misogyny» of his critics, but a complex image of the symbolism of the sexes and of their interrelations - notably as regards the erotic, maternal, artistic and other aspects of the feminine. As Domnica Radulescu shows, in phenomenological (Bachelardian) terms, «farfelu» discourse is part of Malraux's creation through art of a true «anti-destiny,» a cosmic eroticism which recursively forms the primary material of the poetic imagination.

About this title

About the Author

The Author: Domnica Radulescu, after university studies and a brief acting career in her birthplace, Bucharest, Romania, received advanced degrees at the University of Chicago in Comparative Literature and Romance Languages - the latter in 1992 with a thesis on André Malraux. She has worked as a theatre director, and has written scholarly articles on Cervantes and Malraux. Dr. Radulescu has also written several short stories and is now working on her first novel. She currently teaches at Washington and Lee University.

Review

«I believe øthis! book will be a substantial and original contribution to Malraux studies. It is well-organized, accessible and comprehensive in its analysis of the works studied. In particular, it demonstrates far better than in any previous study the continuity and richness of Malraux's 'imaginaire' from the 'écrits farfelus' to 'Le Miroir des limbes'.» (David Bevan, Bishop's University)
«Critics have long had considerable difficulty in dealing with the 'farfelu' in Malraux's writings. However, in this meticulously researched and well-written study, Professor Radulescu demonstrates that that element in three of his works - the early tales, 'La Condition humaine', and the 'Antimémoires' - is a rather singular mixture of love, sensual sexuality, and femininity. Using some of the techniques and insights of modern linguists and phenomenologists (Bachelard, Saussure) and of specialists in psychology and gender studies (Cixous, Doniger, Kristeva, Lévi-Strauss), she skillfully analyzes imagery, metaphor, and theme to shed a revealing new light on the dimensions of Malraux's imaginary world.» (Walter Langlois, University of Wyoming) «Domnica Radulescu hat mit ihrem Buch die Frage nach dem Frauenbild bei Malraux auf eine neue Art gestellt und einen wichtigen Schritt einer Lösung zugeführt. Das Buch sollte darüber hinaus auch als Beitrag zu einer neuen Lesart von Malraux' Werk angesehen werden, wie auch als Versuch, die methodischen Zugänge zu Malraux' Werk zu diversifizieren.» (Horst Hina, Romanische Forschungen)

About this edition

• Publisher: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0820422967
• ISBN 13: 9780820422961
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216