An Examination on the Sociological Texture of the Novel The Lover

Abstract

Although literature contains information at different levels about the society from which it emerged since human history, studies examining the interactions between literary works and social reality are quite new. Literary works often contain information about the cultural values, beliefs, political and economic situation, and way of thinking of the society in which they are born. Studies within the scope of the sociology of literature are based on understanding and explaining the social elements contained in literary works. Marguerite Duras, one of the female writers of the 20th century, was born and raised in French Indochina due to her parents’ professions. The colonial society in which she spent her childhood leaves profound traces on the author's personality, which will later be reflected in her works. Marguerite Duras, who witnessed many political developments during the period she lived in, took an active role in social movements. The author, who is sensitive to social issues, not only tells her love story with her Chinese lover in The Lover (1984), where she fictionalizes her last years in a French colony but also sheds light on many details about colonial society. In the novel, two opposing worlds arising from the hierarchy between the exploiters and the exploited are depicted. Undoubtedly, colonialists who hold power leave irreparable effects on the exploited societies. In her fiction, Marguerite Duras describes the social effects of the ruthless policies of colonial powers in the exploited territories. This study aims to examine the effects of colonialism on society through the novel in which the author describes her memories and experiences in the colonial order.