"Tea in the Sahara": The Function of Time in the Work of Paul Bowles
1986; Duke University Press; Volume: 32; Issue: 3/4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/441357
ISSN2325-8101
Autores Tópico(s)Contemporary Literature and Criticism
ResumoWith even the briefest glance at the protagonists who people the novels of Paul Bowles, it becomes apparent that they are all questers: Porter and Katherine Moresby have come to North Africa with the hope of reestablishing a relationship which has soured; Nelson Dyar has left his teller's cage in New York with the hope of finding in Tangier a remedy for his demoralizing sensation of motionlessness; John Stenham, equally as disillusioned with a year's stint in the Communist Party as with his New England background, has spent several years living in Morocco with the hope of somehow saving himself; Dr. Taylor Slade and his youthful wife, Desiree, have come to North Africa for the Slade Anniversary Expedition, an expedition whose goal is the kindling of a heretofore nonexistent love in their relationship. Bowles proffers the suggestion that the how of his protagonists' existences be predicated upon the necessity for engagement, upon the importance of choice, and upon the authority of the individual in deciding ethical matters for himself.' Bowles's suggestion is based on the hypothesis that if a man considers his life as, basically, limited existence in time, then the success or failure of his quest relies on the manner in which he exists in that time. Implicit in such quests is a regard for life itself. If one is to be successful in his quest, then one acts properly in that time. It is the purpose of this essay to examine the manner in which time functions in Bowles's work, with particular emphasis on his first novel, The Sheltering Sky. By analyzing the relationship between time and actions, this examination will illustrate the thematic significance of time. The brief first chapter of The Sheltering Sky requires particular
Referência(s)