Monday, August 2, 2010
_The Unbearable Lightness of Being_
Milan Kundera's novel is self-consciously constructed according to the presence of motifs, so feel free to start tracking some of them in Book 1, as we will do in groups for the rest of the session. Otherwise post discussion questions as usual. This book is rich not just in motifs but in metaphors and literary allusions, as well as ideas about art, history, and life. Enjoy!
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On page 19, Tereza describes the feeling of needing to urinate. The image comes again for the puppy on page 24. Why does the image of urinating reoccur, and how does it relate to Kundera's discussion of burden and weight?
ReplyDeleteIn Part One of the novel, the narrator expresses two opposing views: lightness and weight.Is it possible to have the two simultaneously? or must one choose a path and remain on it?
ReplyDeleteAlso Tomas refers to Tereza numerous times as a "child whom he had taken from a bulrush basket that had been daubed with pitch and sent to the riverbank of his bed" (Kundera 7). This is an allusion to Moses. What is the significance of this? What does this say about Tereza?
Tomas first denies his infidelity as Tereza learns about it. He then tries to justify himself and explain that love and sex are separate for him. Why do you think he feels like that and what led him to have this mentality?
ReplyDeleteTomas' concept of erotic friendship seems like an irony. On one hand, he is free to participate in a relationsip "in which sentimentality has no place and neither partner makes any claim on the life and freedom of the other" (p.12). Yet, there is a "unwritten contract" upon him that stipulates that all love be excluded from his life (p.13).
ReplyDeleteHow should we reconcile and interpret this in light of terms of Kundera's discussion on Lightness and Weight?
How is Kundera able to develop Tomas' character so that he evokes empathy on the part of the reader in spite of his infidelities?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 15 Tomas explains that he feels the "sweet lightness" without Tereza, yet the next day he feels like he is "hit by a weight the likes of which he had never known". What does this tell us about Tomas's character in terms of relationship?
ReplyDeleteHow is Tomas' erotic friendships and "love" for Tereza, which are clearly delineated within his conception of the world, indicative of lightness? How can Tomas' be seen as light, or somehow ameliorated from the guilt society ought to impose on him?
ReplyDelete"Making love with a woman and sleeping with a woman are two separate passions, not merely different but opposite."(15)
ReplyDeleteHow can we see this sentence in comparison of his first chapter, where he talks about weight and lightness?
Tomas claims that he does not want to be with a dependent woman such as Tereza when she brings a suitcase. What does this reveal about his perceptions on how different types of women affect weight and lightness? Also, what does this reveal about the author's beliefs on the good/bad associated with weightness in one's life?
ReplyDeleteOn pg 4, Kundera states, "this reconciliation with Hitler reveals the profound moral perversity of a world that rests essentially on the non existence of return, for in this world, everything is pardoned in advance and therefore everything iscynically permitted."How does Tomas's sympathetic personality in the following story affect his relationship with Tereza? Describe how "everything is cynically permitted"
ReplyDeleteI'm a little confused did Tomas go back to Tereza at the end for compassion (like with feelings) or the other compassion(like pity?) it seemed to me that he missed her, but then when he got back it seemed like a burden to him, why did he come back then.
ReplyDeleteCompassion is the only negative/positive and lightness/heaviness that is mysterious and complicated. Does Tomas still have compassion when he returns to Prague?
ReplyDelete"...a child put in a pitch-daubed bulrush basket and sent downstream." How does this relate to to Tomas or any of the other characters? How might this relate to the sentence at the end of chapter 4, "Thomas did not realize at the time that metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with. A single metaphor can give birth to love."
ReplyDeleteIs there also some significance to the torn-page design of the book?
"Making love with a woman and sleeping with a woman are two separate passions, not merely different but opposite."(15)
ReplyDeleteUsing Ivan's quote, which one would Parmenides consider positive and which one would be negative?
How is the heavy suitcase on page 13 significant?
ReplyDelete