The Construction Of Space In Marguerite Duras's Works

The problem of space is a problem that every writer must face inevitably. The description, construction and connotation of space not only represents each writer's unique writing style and concept, but also reveals further political, cultural and ideological significance deeper and wider. As for Duras, space is the main method and core power that she applied to construct space experience and to write about dreams, desires and resistance. Mainly based on the space critical theory and detailed textual analysis, this thesis analyzes the ways of space construction revealed in Duras's novels and try to achieve a new perspective to the study of the uniqueness and profundity of Duras's works.In the introduction, this thesis simply analyzes the present situation of Duras study both in home and abroad. Here, we propose the perspective of space criticism to study Duras's works and state out the significance and value of space criticism to Duras study.The first chapter follows the trail the Duras's life experience of space and investigates the space experience and space memory in the change of her living places. By doing this, we try to find the deep reason why she chose space as her writing object and the ways of construction. India, China and France are important writing spaces that have great influence to her novels.From chapter two to chapter four, by the method of detailed textural analysis, we analyze three types of space that Duras constructed in her novels:dream space, desire space and resistance space, which are actually the main themes of Duras's whole writing life. In each kind of space construction, Duras endeavors to use concrete physical space to express her writing skills and her ideas. The fracture of space and the wandering of space push her to find the dreamed sweet home through her whole life. She finally locates it in India and China where is both of "reality and imagination" and where she passed her childhood. India and China is the starting point of her dreams. Love and desire makes her find her ego self, her women identity and another unique and secret space. Nevertheless, resistance is her determined fate and her writing style. She chooses a margin area as her space of complete openness and resistance.Chapter five analyzes simply Duras's writing concept of space. The uniqueness of Duras lies upon the space-realization of the writing process by the concept of "the dark room of writing".