The Profane and the Sacredin Insatiability

Abstract

In this essay I examine Genezip’s effort to solve the mystery of existence by employing the theoretical and social insights of Georges Bataille. I argue that Bataille’s division of human time into profane and sacred time is applicable to Zip’s adventures as he follows sacred/erotic passions as opposed to the world of the profane/work to encounter the mystery. I examine this dichotomy as it is prevalent throughout the novel from Zip’s earliest encounters with sexuality and observations of his father’s factory workers.He abandons the world of profane not only in the forms of manual labor, but also in the forms of philos-phy and literature. Instead, Zip opts for the sacred/erotic as he is initiated into the world of bohemia and experiences self individuation ironically at moments of transgression.