Pascal Quignard's 'Les solidarités mystérieuses' Reviewed
Pascal Quignard's novel 'Les solidarités mystérieuses' (Éditions Gallimard) marks a departure from his usual references to great thinkers and artists, focusing instead on ordinary characters in rural Brittany. The central figure, Claire Methuen, returns to her homeland and secretly observes Simon, a pharmacist she has loved since childhood, until his death by drowning. The review highlights Quignard's shift from figures like Homer, Plutarch, and Freud to a pharmacist, farmers, a gay priest, a divorced mother, and a retired piano teacher. The narrative explores themes of love, death, and the physical presence of the Breton landscape, with Quignard's prose emphasizing sensory details. The critic notes that psychoanalytic theories offer little help in understanding this 'other world' where beings and things are 'disconnected.' The novel ends with Claire's realization that 'all beautiful things live' and that 'life is the most touching memory of the time that produced this world.'
Key facts
- Pascal Quignard's novel 'Les solidarités mystérieuses' is published by Éditions Gallimard.
- The novel departs from Quignard's usual references to thinkers like Homer, Plutarch, and Freud.
- The story centers on Claire Methuen and Simon, a pharmacist, in rural Brittany.
- Simon dies by drowning, and his body is partially eaten by fish.
- Claire secretly watches Simon from a hiding place until his death.
- The review emphasizes Quignard's focus on ordinary characters and physical descriptions.
- The critic states that psychoanalytic theories are insufficient to understand the novel.
- The novel ends with Claire's reflection on beauty and life.
Entities
Artists
- Pascal Quignard
Institutions
- Éditions Gallimard
Locations
- Brittany
- Saint-Énogat
- France
Sources
- artpress —