FratFiles

• Save Paper

The Intrusive Author in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being

In an interview he gave after the reprinting of one of his later novels, Milan Kundera said, most eloquently, that "the stupidity of the world comes from having an answer for everything… the wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything" (qtd. in O'Brien 4). This statement is one most indicative of the unique authorial style found in all of Kundera's works, particularly his most famous novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Unlike previous traditional, non-autobiographical novels, Kundera chooses to indirectly reveal himself as the narrator, who, while omniscient in the control of his characters, poses questions of deep philosophical interest that even he cannot answer. This method has become problematic, however, as many critics have wrongly proclaimed this technique to represent the author's hatred for the totalitarian regime under which his novel was written; in doing so, not......

View the rest of this paper...

Approximate Word Count: 2338
Approximate Pages: 10 (250 words per double-spaced page)

Similar Essays

1. The Intrusive Author In Milan Kundera'S &Quot;The Unbearable Lightness ...
   

   ... The Intrusive Author in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being In an
   interview he gave after the reprinting of one of his later novels, Milan ...

2. Insight Into Milan Kundera'S Narrative
   

   ... point is directed to the description of Milan Kundera's narration as ... Most of the
   time, when the author is telling ... to this rule called "the intrusive narrator". ...

3. Insight Into Milan Kundera'S Narrative
   

   ... point is directed to the description of Milan Kundera's narration as ... Most of the
   time, when the author is telling ... to this rule called "the intrusive narrator". ...