Identity in The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Drawing on essays concerning Mitteleuropa, this article attempts to describe aspects of cultural identity in Milan Kundera‟s novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The historical challenges that this particular geographical and cultural area encountered are reflected in relation to a struggle...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Casa Cărții de Știință
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Cultural Intertexts |
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| Online Access: | https://b00e8ea91c.clvaw-cdnwnd.com/4fb470e8cbb34a32a0dc1701f8d7322d/200000334-c5fa1c5fa4/148-155%20C.%20Stan%20-%20Identity%20in%20The%20Unbearable%20Lightness%20of%20Being%20by%20Milan%20Kundera.pdf |
| Summary: | Drawing on essays concerning Mitteleuropa, this article attempts to describe aspects of
cultural identity in Milan Kundera‟s novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The
historical challenges that this particular geographical and cultural area encountered are
reflected in relation to a struggle to maintain a certain cultural identity, encumbered by the
Soviet influence in Czechoslovakia. A threatened identity relies on its cultural life, but the
characters in Kundera‟s novel also resort to a certain identitary separation and seek for a
refuge in love. The Czech writer‟s novels emphasize an unavoidable obsession with the
totalitarian space, seen as a trap for an individual‟s identity and personal freedom.
Combining the essayistic reflection and a philosophical speculation within a narrative
frame, the writer succeeds in rendering something more valuable than a beautiful story: a
story brimming with ideas.
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| ISSN: | 2393-0624 2393-1078 |