Michel Houellebecq expérimentateur existentiel : une approche pascalienne de l’œuvre romanesque

Abstract

This paper examines how Michel Houellebecq's novels reflect on the consequences of the awareness of the vanity of life’s social goals, in a philosophical vein inspired by Pascal. Their protagonists gradually lose their illusions, particularly about love and social success, and are thus led to observe the society around them in a disillusioned way. Out of step with their environment, they criticize the current trends of a society caught up in globalisation. Their pessimism is increased by the weakening of traditional support networks such as those previously offered by church, family, class solidarity. The palliatives available to them are either derisory (alcohol, pills, food) or increasingly unattainable (sex, a happy marriage) as they struggle to face the fundamental problem of life’s lack of meaning. They generally have no solution. I therefore argue that the philosophical backbone of Houellebecq's work is based in a latent way on Pascal's highlighting of the tragedy of man without God and that the novels are an exploration of the modalities of this confrontation with emptiness.

Keywords

• Houellebecq
• Blaise Pascal
• novel
• existence
• emptiness
• globalization