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In search of an equivocal country
Axmannová, Eliška ; Voldřichová - Beránková, Eva (advisor) ; Jamek, Václav (referee)
The present diploma thesis called In search of an equivocal country is devoted to the life and work of Victor-Lévy Beaulieu, a French Canadian (Quebecois) novelist. Beaulieu is an exceptional figure on the contemporary literary scene, especially because of his large scale project that he has been patiently pursuing for almost fifty years - the quest for a Quebecois epic and a hero that could save the nation from its loss of cultural identity. It is the 1978 trilogy Monsieur Melville that stands at the heart of the thesis. The eight hundred pages mosaic divided in three volumes might be mistaken for a simple biography of Herman Melville or for a critical analysis of his work. Nevertheless, it's to the art of literature that the text is devoted. Abel, writer and Beaulieu's alter-ego, is the narrator, while Melville assumes the role of an acolyte. Together, they undertake a voyage across New England and neighbouring waters in order for Abel to find strength enough to write the ultimate Book for Quebec. The thesis is made up by three main parts. Following a short introductory chapter concerned with Beaulieu's life and work and with his relation to the American literature, the focus is put on formal aspects of the trilogy. The first part of the thesis is called Monsieur Melville and postmodern inspiration and...
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