Original scientific paper
Life before man: the alternative to liquid love in fiction?
Maja Ćuk
; Faculty of Foreign Languages (Alfa BK University in Belgrade)
Tijana Parezanović
; Faculty of Foreign Languages (Alfa BK University in Belgrade)
Abstract
Relying on Zygmunt Bauman’s views on the emotional bonding in “liquid modernity”, this essay analyses the frailty of love relationships in the second half of the twentieth century – the social phenomenon which is embedded in the subtext of Margaret Atwood’s novel Life before Man. Protagonists in the mentioned work, Elizabeth and Nate, as well as Lesje and William, demonstrate how the partnership has diverged from the traditional patterns of romance. Instead of involving deeper feelings and real commitment, passive and disillusioned characters in Atwood’s novel tie the so-called “top pocket relationships”, loose and unfulfilling bonds that last for a brief period of time. However, when characteristics of love which Mikhail Epstein has written about – true passion, inspiration, tenderness and compassion – appear between two people, such as Nate and Lesje, those feelings can rise above the complexities of liquid love, thus demonstrating that, despite the liquidity of modern times, successful partnerships can only be based and built on love, that is, sola amore. The provided analysis of Life before Man results in a possible solution of the conflicting theories of love, in favour of Epstein’s views on the durability of sincere emotions despite the casual and easy nature of brief and not-too-deep relationships dictated by life in the modern world.
Keywords
love; liquid love; Life before Man; Margaret Atwood; partnership
Hrčak ID:
247742
URI
Publication date:
13.12.2020.
Visits: 788 *