The Motif of Revolt in the Text of Octave Mirbeau’s L’Abbé Jules
Abstract
Revolt is the leitmotif in Octave Mirbeau’s novel L’Abbé Jules. By means of following the story line and placing the occurrences of the word in their narrative context, the article looks at the lexical repetitions and its derivations. The recurrences of “revolt” throw light on protagonists: their psychology, their path, their interactions. The study focuses in particular on the relationship between revolt and the eponymous character, as set in a historical, religious and cultural context. The relationship with religion is at the heart of a significant revolt by Abbé Jules, exposing in the process the contradictions that characterise him. Far from being a mere ‘ornament’, revolt is a cross-cutting theme that reveals semantic and thematic networks. These go beyond fiction to disclose Mirbeau’s critical view of contemporary society: the family, the Church and human behaviour.
Keywords:
Octave Mirbeau, Abbé Jules, lexemes, derivations, ChurchReferences
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