The Study Of Beach Man’s Living Space In Modiano’s Fiction

Patrick Modiano is one of the representatives of the French neo-fable.He is good at combining traditional narrative art with the creation of modernism,who builds the nostalgic and sentimental atmosphere in his works and reveals the profound connection between human beings and the themes of identity,memory,history,existence and so on.Modiano creates a typical character in his work----"the Beach Man".Most of these people are marginal men in French society,who are unidentified,with low social status and life wandering.In order to depict"the Beach Man" in depth,Modiano not only placed them in a special background of the times,but also constructed a unique living space for them.And through the investigation and analysis of these spaces,we can further understand the living state and spiritual world of "the Beach Man",thus to deeply grasp Modiano’s features of writing as well as the value and charm of his works.The main body of this paper was divided into three parts.The first part divided the space described by Modiano into urban space in Paris and "neutral area" from a macro perspective.Although the former had given "Beach Man" warm memories,it was more of a repressive experience;The latter was Modiano’s own concept,the ideal living space for "the Beach Man".The choice of these two kinds of space became the motivation of "the Beach Man" to "escape" and "pursuit".In analyzing"the Beach Man"’s "body escape," the paper drew on Guy Derbo’s "drift theory," while the author drew inspiration from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory when analyzing the“the Beach Man”’s quest for "neutral areas."The second chapter analyzed the public space in Modiano’s works,which were mainly bars,cafes,bookstores,streets and squares,and so on.According to the social background in France,based on analysis of the text,the author revealed that there were many similarities in these seemingly different spaces-the position was uncertain,the origin and direction were not clear.These spaces not only acted as shelters for"Beach Man",which affected their lives and destinies,but also revealed the living state of "Beach Man" as "the Nameless in metropolis" and the inner experience caused by this state.The third part focused on private space,which were mainly private offices,hotels,apartments.In the life of "Beach Man",they all played the dual role of "cage" and "shelter",and none of them were permanent residence for "Beach Man",which revealed that "the Beach Man" is "the rover in metropolis".Moreover,in Modiano’s writing,the "home" has always been missing.The interpretation of "Home" in the paper was based on the theory of Gaston Bashra.And the lack of "home" in the novels were closely related to the author’s early years.