The aim of this paper is to explore the different intertextual links between the two literary works. While the main character Madeleine deconstructs Barthes's deconstruction of love in her term paper and applies it to her own life, the narrator deconstructs Madeleine's love life and this paper should deconstruct the narration’s deconstruction of the relationship.
If the concept of love is to be seen as an architectural building consisting of a foundation, roofs, walls, floors, stairs, openings, standing in a specific location and having a personal interior design, it can be disassembled into its individual parts. Even though most buildings are different and fewest are identical, they all share the same basic elements they are built of. The French philosopher Roland Barthes breaks down the concept of love into its fragments in his work "A Lover's Discourse" (1977). 34 years later, the American novelist Jeffrey Eugenides publishes a romance novel, "The Marriage Plot" (2011), where Barthes's fragments are a reference point to the narrator. Some of these fragments are direct quotes, but most remain unsaid, lying under the surface.
Finding all fragments would go beyond the constraints of this paper. Thus, the focus should be on only a few fragments. In particular, focusing on the most prominent main character’s perspective, while the plot contains two more discourses on love from the main character's love interests.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 About Roland Barthes’ „A Lover’s Discourse Fragments“
1.2 About Jeffrey Eugenides’ „The Marriage Plot“: love seen through the lense of text
2. Analysis of Intertextuality: Barthes’ Fragments in Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot
2.1 „I am crazy“ (fou / mad)
2.2 Agony (angoisse / anxiety)
2.3 The Absent One (absence / absence)
2.4 Identifications (identification / identification)
2.5 Exuberance (dépense / expenditure)
2.6 Fade-out (fading / fade-out)
2.7 The Other’s Body (corps / body)
2.8 Atopos (atopos / atopos)
2.9 Blue Coat and Yellow Vest (habit / habiliment)
2.10 Flayed (écorché / flayed)
2.11 The Tip of the Nose (altération / alteration)
2.12 Solitude
2.13 Waiting (attente / waiting)
2.14 Dark Glasses (cacher / to hide)
2.15 „Special Days“ (fête / festivity)
2.16 Ravishment (ravissement / ravishment)
2.17 „How blue the sky was“ (rencontre / encounter)
2.18 Love’s Obscenity (obscène / obscene)
2.19 I Love You
2.20 Catastrophe (catastrophe / catastrophe)
2.21 In Praise of Tears (pleurer / crying)
2.22 To Love Love (annulation / annulment)
2.23 Regretted?
2.24 Exiled from the Image-repertoire (exil / exile)
2.25 „I am odious“
2.26 „I have an Other-ache“
2.27 The Orange (fâcheux / irksome)
2.28 Truth (vérité / truth)
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the intertextual relationship between Roland Barthes’ "A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments" and Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel "The Marriage Plot". The study seeks to deconstruct how the main character, Madeleine, uses theoretical frameworks to interpret her own romantic life and how the narrator in turn reflects upon this process of literary mediation.
- Analysis of Barthesian "fragments" as a lens for romantic experience.
- Examination of how literary theory influences and potentially traps the subject's perception of love.
- Deconstruction of the power dynamics inherent in the relationship between Madeleine and Leonard.
- Exploration of the transition from romantic idealization to the reality of mental illness and personal struggle.
- Evaluation of the "intertextual" nature of the modern romance novel.
Excerpt from the Book
Analysis of Intertextuality: Roland Barthes’ Fragments in Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot
The novel begins after a quote by François de La Rochefoucauld „People would never fall in love if they hadn’t heard love talked about” and song lyrics by the Talking Heads „And you may ask yourself, Well, how did I get here?…” with the title „A Madman in Love“. This title may suggest an alternative to the title „The Marriage Plot“ and further specifies what the story is about. Common expressions like „to be crazy in love“, „madly in love“, „head over heels“ suggest that being in love might carry a certain irrationality that, yet, is still widely accepted, we do not think of someone who is madly in love that he or she is clinically insane, but that the subject is so much in love that he may suddelnly act irrational or out of passion, oppositional to how he normally behaves, not seeing things clearly, be very emotional or impulsive or suffer on the negative side from a „lovesickness“.
Barthes describes in a fragment called „I am crazy“ this state of mind. The subject in love understands his insanity and is able to describe it, the rest sees him as „unreasonable“. He is conscious, but can not help himself out of this condition. (Barthes 1977: 120/121)
The lover is not an actual madman, he is only half-mad as he is able to recognize his condition. And even „rational subjects“ realize they are not safe from this love madness. Contrary to actual madness which is a state of depersonalization, so Rimbaud, the lover becomes mad because he can not stop himself from falling into love.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides the foundation for the study by introducing the central texts and outlining the researcher's aim to explore the intertextual links between Barthes' theoretical work and Eugenides' fiction.
2. Analysis of Intertextuality: Barthes’ Fragments in Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot: This extensive analytical section examines specific Barthesian concepts such as "Agony," "Atopos," and "Catastrophe," applying them to the romantic development and eventual relationship conflicts of the main character, Madeleine.
3. Conclusion: The conclusion reflects on the ambivalent influence of theory on Madeleine's life, suggesting that while Barthes helps her articulate her feelings, it also leads her to pathologize her own romantic experiences.
Keywords
Intertextuality, Roland Barthes, A Lover's Discourse, Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot, Romanticism, Love Language, Semiotics, Subjectivity, Literary Theory, Anxiety, Relationship Dynamics, Deconstruction, Lovers, Narrative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this literary analysis?
The work focuses on the intertextual connections between Roland Barthes’ "A Lover’s Discourse" and Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel "The Marriage Plot," specifically investigating how the protagonist uses Barthes' theory to navigate and interpret her own romantic relationships.
What are the primary themes addressed in the text?
The central themes include the influence of literary theory on lived experience, the construction of romantic identities, the interplay between text and reality, and the emotional transitions within a relationship from idealization to disillusionment.
What is the main objective or research purpose?
The goal is to determine to what extent Barthes' "fragments" serve as a blueprint for the protagonist’s actions and how this "reading" of reality through a text impacts her ability to develop a healthy romantic connection.
Which methodology is applied throughout the analysis?
The paper utilizes a literary analysis approach, mapping specific Barthesian "figures" (or fragments) onto the plot points and emotional states of the characters in Eugenides' novel to uncover hidden intertextual influences.
What content is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main part systematically goes through a series of Barthesian concepts, such as "Agony," "Ravishment," and "I Love You," and examines how these theoretical segments are mirrored in the narrative arc of the relationship between Madeleine and Leonard.
Which keywords best describe this academic work?
Essential keywords include Intertextuality, Roland Barthes, The Marriage Plot, Semiotics, Romanticism, and Subjectivity.
How does Madeleine’s academic background affect her perception of love?
Madeleine’s study of semiotics in a university seminar preconditions her to see love as a set of signs and symbols, leading her to over-analyze her interactions with Leonard as if they were a literary text instead of a genuine human dynamic.
What role does Leonard’s mental illness play in the power dynamic described?
The analysis suggests that as Leonard becomes more vulnerable due to his mental health, the power dynamic shifts, moving Madeleine from a position of "waiting subject" to a more complex role involving care and emotional support.
What is the author's conclusion regarding the utility of literary theory in real life?
The author concludes that while theory can provide a framework to understand complex emotions, it can become a "trap" if the individual relies on it too heavily, causing them to prioritize narrative patterns over spontaneous real-world connections.
- Quote paper
- Olena Brandes (Author), 2021, The intertextuality of Roland Barthes's "The Lover's Discourse" in Jeffrey Eugenides novel "The Marriage Plot", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1267861
