Death sentence

L'arrêt de mort

Blanchot is notoriously difficult to understand, yet this work, which could be loosely labeled postmodern, is arguably the most accessible of his dozen or so novels and narratives. It has a discernible plot, central characters, and, quite extravagantly, a specific historical and geographical setting: Paris, France, around the start of World War II. Even more alluring, it incorporates an autobiographical framework, encompassing a love story, a suspense tale, a mystery, and perhaps even a horror tale with a Gothic edge. If you dig deeper, you can even discern traces of political allegory and biblical narrative. Readers who enjoy a challenge will not be disappointed, as this narrative remains highly avant-garde. As Blanchot's first "récit," it initiated Blanchot's experimentation with this unique literary genre, continuing his pursuit of the dream of "pure fiction." Indeed, of all Blanchot's novels and narratives, "The Death Sentence" has perhaps attracted the most critical and research to date, demonstrating its allure and its significant place in Blanchot's literary oeuvre.
Now, whenever the grave opens its arms to me, a powerful thought arises within me, bringing me back to the side of life: What makes this possible? The sneer of my own death. But know that where I am going, there is neither labor nor wisdom, neither desire nor struggle; where I shall enter, no one enters. This is the meaning of this last struggle.

2014-11-01

南京大学出版社

Nanjing University Press·Watchman

128

9787305140792