In her suspense novel Gnomon, Luchia Dertien explores the gray areas of morality and the dark side to love. Gnomon is set in a fictionalized modern Paris, and focuses on Renaire and his relationship with Emile Delaurier. Renaire is desperately in love with Emile, who is the leader of a militant revolutionary group called the STB. The novel focuses on Renaire’s relationship with Emile and his struggles with his moral code, being haunted by his past, and being in love with one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Gnomon leaves it’s audience captivated and thoughtful, making the reader question what exactly it means to be righteous, how far is too far when it comes to justice, and what is the most important to follow; your heart or your morals. …show more content…
Since Emile usually only kills people that are unjust and corrupt, the death of the seemingly innocent woman leaves Renaire questioning exactly what it is that Emile isn’t telling him. Their relationship becomes strained, and Renaire fears that Emile has finally decided he no longer requires Renaire by his side. Renaire battles with his own self-worth, his weighted past, and striving to keep Delaurier alive. Eventually Emile reveals that the reporter had had extensive knowledge on Renaire’s and the other members of the STB’s personal history, and was planning on sharing it with Interpol. Renaire realizes that Emile cares more for him than he previously believed, and their relationship shifts. Renaire is the happiest he’s ever been, but when Interpol soon contacts him he is left devastated by the new information they supply him about Delaurier’s recent criminal activity. Renaire is then left with a choice; to continue to follow the man he is in love with, or leave him with his morals …show more content…
During Emile and Renaire’s first meeting, Renaire refers to Emile as “Apollo”, which highlighted the almost god-like esteem Renaire holds Delaurier to. Renaire dehumanizes Delaurier multiple times in the book, such as calling him Apollo and even getting to the point of calling him a monster. It seems as though Renaire himself forgets that Delaurier is human. There’s a very impactful moment in the book where Delaurier says to Renaire that he “keeps him human.” I also found it really interesting how in moments of emotional intensity, negative or positive, Renaire will refer to Delaurier as his first name, “Emile”, and referring to him as “Delaurier” adds to that esteem Renaire has for Delaurier and it highlights the distance Renaire feels with Delaurier. A key symbolization of the book is the title’s connection with Emile and Renaire. A Gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts a shadow, and many times in the book Renaire is referred to as Delaurier’s
The Return of Martin Guerre, written by Natalie Zemon Davis, is the tale of a court case that takes place in sixteenth century France. Martin Guerre is a peasant who deserted his wife and family for many years. While Martin Guerre is gone, a man named Arnaud du Tilh arrives at Martin’s village and claims to be Martin Guerre. Bertrande, who is Guerre’s wife, Guerre’s sisters, and many of the villagers, accepts the imposter. After almost three years of being happily married, Bertrande takes the fraud to court under pressure of Pierre Guerre, her stepfather and Guerre’s brother. Arnaud du Tilh is almost declared innocent, but the real Martin Guerre appears in the courthouse. Throughout this tale, many factors of the peasant life are highlighted. The author gives a very effective and detailed insight to a peasant’s life during the time of Martin Guerre. Davis does a successful job of portraying the peasant lifestyle in sixteenth century France by accentuating the social, cultural, and judicial factors of everyday peasant life.
The notion of Bertrande de Rols in The Wife of Martin Guerre as having good intentions suggests not only that she was mindful of her own feelings in her pursuit of the truth, but also of the feelings of others. However, Bertrande’s intentions were to cleanse her soul and absolve herself from sin by indicting the impostor, Arnaud du Tilh. Yet, she undertakes this task considering the despair it would inflict upon the mesnie. These actions also are detrimental to Bertrande in causing her perhaps the most anguish and grief of all. Bertrande intends to uphold the status quo, yet she has due knowledge that pathway to the greater good will be harmful to her and the Mesnie.
Her drawn-out confession is worded in a way that the “someone” that she loves “who loves [her] too” seems to be Cyrano because every description matches him (73). However, she calls him “beautiful” (74) and concludes that the man is “Baron Christian de Neuvillette” (75) Not only does this contradict the audience’s expectations, but it also weaves in her instinctive disregard for a consideration of inner beauty. Despite her claims about knowing his true character, her response exhibits her falling into the trap of superficiality. For fifteen years, Roxane remains unaware of her true love and only discovers the truth with his death; from “the letters” to “the voice…in the dark,” everything was Cyrano and not Christian (220). As the spark of truth ignited her love, the life of her lover was extinguished. She did not doubt her lover’s identity until it is too late, communicating that she did not question his perfection. This comes to show that even those who should know do not realize the potential falsity of a person; in this case, Roxane, who was Christian’s lover and Cyrano’s family and friend, did not connect the two together. Thus, there should not be assumptions made about reality, as demonstrated by Roxane interactions with
It is my intention to compare the book, Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos, to its modern movie version, Cruel Intentions starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. I intend to examine how the original French text was modified in reference to plot, character, morals/values, and themes. I also plan to discuss how these transformations change the meaning of the story and reflect different cultural/historical contexts. There are some major differences between these two works, if only because of when they were written.
It seems as though in today’s society, suspicion lies in every corner. No one trusts anyone anymore, everyone lies, everyone steals, everyone pretends to be someone they are not. However true or false these statements might be, there is a need in today’s society to be able to explain everything, coming up with every possible lie or predicament within every story. Natalie Davis is from today’s society, and once again, she has found the need to investigate Bertrande Guerre’s role within The Return of Martin Guerre. The only pieces of evidence that are reliable come from Jean de Coras, the main judge in the trial.
Throughout the Lais of Marie de France there are several themes presented as central to the various stories. Some of these themes are present in all of the lais. One such example is that of courtly love and it’s implications. Courtly love being one of the more prominent themes in all of medieval literature, it is fittingly manifested in all of the lais as well. Another theme present in two of the lais is isolation. The theme of isolation plays a large role in the stories of Guigemar and Lanval. In each of these lais we see isolation as a factor in determining the fates of the central figures. Within each lai isolation is represented on several different occasions, each time having a direct impact on the outcome. These instances of isolation may be seen at times to be similar in nature and consequence, and different at other times. By sifting through both works these instances may be extrapolated and analyzed.
Cosi fan Tutte shows that anyone can be deceived or be the deceiver, can love for real, for fake, and desire pride or lust, and fall into a crisis. It is interesting (and certainly amusing) how all of these five words connect with each other. Was love between the two men and two women genuine? Who was the deceiver and deceived? Was it because of the men’s failure to trust, or women’s failure to resist desire? Is there always such a crisis in a relationship? All these questions make one wonder. One thing for sure is that there is a positive and a negative side to these words. Gender does not matter, in the four characters’ situation, both perspectives of the words applied. The five words have shown me that there is a double meaning, or a duality in
Bertrande did not intend to stray from the truths and beliefs she was raised with. After dealing with devastating events and conforming to society’s approach of being a widower and single mother the vulnerability of being alone broke her. Whether it was Bertrande’s selfishness or naivety to be accepted by the community, her good name and reputation was soiled. She refused to accept the guidance from the church and her family. Instead she tried to create her dream life with a man she knew was impersonating her husband. Her fear of being caught in the middle of society with no defined purpose steered her down a path of lies. Though marriage was at the heart of this story, The Return of Martin Guerre is about a woman who was so pressured by the acceptance of society that she took advantage of a once valid marriage for personal gain.
Francois goes on to reveal that Henri, Helene’s son, has discovered the fly that his mother has been obsessing over. Francois then orders Helene to confess so that he can ensure the safety of his nephew. Helene reluctantly gives in and produces a written confession that Francois takes home to read. On the other hand, in the movie adaptation, Helene is visited by Francois while she is under observation in her home. He demands the same request, only this time Helene does not have a thick wad of papers of which the truth has been written. Instead, Francois quickly calls up Commissioner Charas who is also present for Helene’s verbal
Several people in Jean Valjeans life allow him to rediscover the meaning of love. The good bishop is the one responsible for initiating this rediscovery. Jean Valjean's new life begins when the bishop utters the words, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!” (30). This opens Jean Valjean to the good of the world and allows him to immerse himself in the love Cosette offers him, something he couldn't do without the help of the bishop. The bishop assists Jean Valjean in seeing that there are people who will help him despite his rocky background. This creates a reason for Jean Valjean to act on the experience to rebuild his life and become an honest man. This change of heart helps him feel the love that Cosette displays for him, which he has never known. He slowly begins to love and care f...
The relationship shared by Pierre and Helene is best described as a lustful charade. It is no coincidence that Pierre, one of the most introspective characters in the novel, first marries a shallow, inwardly-ugly adulterer. His first recorded attitude towards Helene is one of admira...
Antoine has an argument with someone called Nicholas. Ravolati. Nicholas stabs Antoine and runs away to Sardinia that night. His mum promised the "Vendetta". She has an idea of what to do.
In The Lais of Marie de France, the theme of love is conceivably of the utmost importance. Particularly in the story of Guigemar, the love between a knight and a queen brings them seemingly true happiness. The lovers commit to each other an endless devotion and timeless affection. They are tested by distance and are in turn utterly depressed set apart from their better halves. Prior to their coupling the knight established a belief to never have interest in romantic love while the queen was set in a marriage that left her trapped and unhappy. Guigemar is cursed to have a wound only cured by a woman’s love; he is then sent by an apparent fate to the queen of a city across the shores. The attraction between them sparks quickly and is purely based on desire, but desire within romantic love is the selfishness of it. True love rests on a foundation that is above mere desire for another person. In truth, the selfishness of desire is the
Every character that revolves around Meursault seems to be in direct contrast to him. Meursault is an amoral person who does not seem to care passionately about anything. He acts in accordance with physical desires. In other words, Meursault is a sensualist person. At this particular time in his life, his path crosses with his neighbor, Raymond, who feels as though his girlfriend is cheating on him. He decides to take revenge with minor aid form Meursault. Meursault helps him only because he thinks he has nothing to lose if he does. As things lead into one another, the first major violent act of the book is committed.
The protagonists, The Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, consider it their life’s ambition to sadistically control and dominate those around them through sexual intrigue. These two villains are indeed locked in psychological combat to see who can actually ‘out-do’ the other in stalking, capturing and destroying the souls of others. Taking absolute pleasure in ripping any virtue from the hearts of their prey, Merteuil and Valmont wave their accomplishments in front of each other like spoils of war. The less the chance of surrender, the more relentless is the pursuit.