DIV 5

Summary

• Aschenbach discovers that there is Cholera in Venice
• Aschenbach continues to stalk Tadzio
• Musicians visit the hotel
• He tries a youthful new look
• The polish family prepare to leave
• Aschenbach dies

Themes/Motifs

• Sickness and death
• Scent
• Control
• secrecy and denial
• religion
• dirt and heat
• Black
• entrapment
• Dream vs Reality
• Rationality
• Degeneration
• love and obsession
• Red
• Suspicion
• White
• absurdity
• Nightmare
• Youth vs age
• Hourglass
• Time running out
• Authority and Control
• Guilt
• Fire
• God
• Banality exterminated
• Sound and Noise
• Desire and Lust
• Rejuvination
• Shame
• Grey
• Facade
• Heat
• Myth and deity
• seperation

Character

Aschenbach

Becomes increasingly obsessed with Tadzio. He also develops paranoia at his feelings being discovered and vanity at his age. He is becoming more and more a slave to Pleasure and ease rather than harsh logic as was his way. He feels that time is running out for him which is displayed in the image of the hourglass with rust red sand falling through it. His dream is also significant as he does not awake disgusted as one would think but instead resolved to stay in Venice with Tadzio in the land of dreams.

Tadzio

In this final chapter there are hints that tadzio returns Aschenbachs affection. He is frequently dressed in white, the colour of purity and innocence.

Miscellaneous

The Musician once again has red hair and is described as snub nosed ( a Nietsche reference?) He seems to highlight the absurdity of Aschenbach's and the tourists predicaments. By reflecting an exaggereated cameo he depicts to the reader how foolish the tourists are.

Narrative Voice

frequent references to scent, especially of discenfecant or sickness. Towards the end of the chapter ordinary things are described with adjectives connotating, heat, oppressiveness and sickness. This depicts Aschenbach's failing health and is a good example of how Mann can be telling the story from Aschenbach's point of view.

Setting

Crumbling sick Venice is still the setting. The facade of dreams appears to be falling yet Aschenbach denies this and strives to hang onto his dream of remaining in magical Venice with its vast freedom of being a tourist, with Tadzio, the forbidden fruit.

DIV 4

Summary

• Aschenbach's obsession grows

Themes and Motifs

• Obsession and stalking vs love
• beauty and art
• divinity
• god
• Myth
• dissatisfaction
• chance and happiness
• Melody
• Sculpture
• sun
• age vs youth
• wise vs desirable
• inspiration
• cowardice
• fire

Character

Aschenbach becomes obsessive in his 'love' of Tadzio. He lacks any rationality which previously governed him.

Tadzio has greek mythology poured over his head until he begins to embody that persona i.e beautiful, promiscious, easy to love... etc

Narrative Voice

The mythology is laid on. The sun becomes a much more important motif, although i'm currently unsure of its exact significance. The description is far more optomistic whereas before it was far darker. This is a chapter of love to allow the reader to realise how deep Aschenbach is into this.

Setting

Still set in Venice. Venice as a setting is less important. The beach becomes highlighted as Aschenbach;s haunt for his stalks. It symbolises freedom, relaxation and dreams. Things that are not usually acceptable are on the beach for instance wearing less...

DIV 3

Summary

• Goes to Pola but then decides he doesn't want to be there
• goes on a boat to Venice
• meets an old man who fakes being young and is disgusted by him
• Has a rather odd experience with a fake gondolier without a licence
• sees many different peoples around him including a polish family with a curiously beautiful son
• Feels ill and decides to leave
• Ends up not leaving due to luggage problems but is quite glad as he changed his mind
• Realises part of the reason he didn't want to leave was Tadzio

Themes and Motifs

• discipline vs spontaneity
• black
• death
• circus
• old vs youth
• facades
• omens
• dreams and myth vs reality
• obscenity and reservation
• lion and the snake
• seduction of death
• yellow
• rebellion
• Hell
• forbidden fruit
• religious imagery
• Divinity
• sickness
• Grey
• Simplicity vs opulence
• escape
• Red

Character

Aschenbach

He isn't developed but we see a change begin to develop in him. He becomes more open to spontanerity and relaxes from his strict discipline. He allows dreams to govern more than logic.

Miscellaneous

There are a few characters such as the gondolier, the old young man and the captain who are worth mentioning. Firstly it seems significant that they all have yellow or reddish hair. They all stand out and turn out to be more than they appear. Indeed the colour yellow seems to have connotations of ill omen as it appears again and again in sickly connotation.

Tadzio

Appears to Aschenbach as a piece of Greek Mythology and great beauty. However, he has blonde hair and is proclaimed to look sickly. The characters that Aschenbach associate tadzio with have controversy covering them.

Narrative Voice

Smell becomes important and is frequently brought up. The lavish description continues. Religious imagery contrasts the mythical imagery.

Setting

Set in Venice. The rules are different in this new place and has physically changed Aschenbach. rather than rigid and planned as Munich is; venice is haphazard, full of chance and mystery as well as swamped in history , particularly Renaissance and Byzantium.

DIV 2

Summary

Indepth background of Aschenbach. we learn about his family, upbrinign and strict lifestyle and how others percieive him.

Themes/Motifs

• Foreign
• travel
• unknown
• family
• fame
• toil and responsibility
• discipline
• ambition
• art and divinity
• ugliness and death
• rebirth

Character

We learn more about the extent of Aschenbach's self discipline. Ambition within his writing is important to him as well as the great responsibility and weight he puts upon himself. His thinking and philosophy is emphsised more than his marriage and appearance which is mentioned in the last two paragraphs.

Narrative Voice

By prioritising what the reader is told about Aschenbach we get a sense of what Aschenbach prioritises. For instance his work appears of far greater importance than his family who are mentioned in a few sentences on the last page of this chapter. Aschenbach comes over monk like with his severity and discipline of mind and writing.

Quotes

'you see, Aschenbach has only ever lived like this' -and the speaker closed the fingers of his left hand tightly into a fist- 'and never like this' -and he let his open hand hang comfortably down along the back of the chair.' pg 203

'Elegant self control concealing from the world's eyes until the very last moment a state of inner disintegration and biological decay.' pg 205

'miracle of reborn naivety' pg 207

'only the eternal intellectual vagrant is bored and prompted to mockery' pg 207

'cloisteral tranquility' pg 209

Death in Venice 1

Summary

• Set in roughly 1912 in Munich initially.
• Reader introduced to Gustav Aschenbach
• Aschenbach goes for a walk and decides to satiate his desire to travel and break his strict writing routine.

Themes/motifs

• self deprivation
• strictness
• art
• red haired man with straw hat
• tigers

Character

The reader is briefly introduced to Gustav Asschenbach. A writer with a strict sense of routine. He is also seen as observent, he notices the 'odd' man at the tram stop. He is inquisitive and has an active imagination.

Narrative Voice

Very descriptive and flowery. Complex. Philosophical?

Setting

Set in Munich although a few other foreign places are described as possibilites for travel. The walk describes many beauteous buildings and places in Munich itself. It appears neat and orderly. The man with the straw hat is easily picked out as an anomaly.

The Unbearable lightness of being review

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book very unlike any other. It has a particular charm that entices you into its depths despite it being a novel that at times can be very frustrating, repetitive and complicated. If you want a story for light reading this is most undoubtedly not the right choice for you.

In a nutshell, the unbearable lightness of being is a book that explores relationships in all their vast variety set in the background of the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia 1968. Kundera explores, in a frankly philosophical manner, what makes opposites attract, and what the best path is for happiness. Along the way his characters experience infidelity, death, intrigue and politics; growing and living all the way.

The communist background is incredibly interesting especially as Kundera brings the issue into much wider context, comparing Communsim to the American dream and Kitsch. This concept of the wider context is returned to again and again as the four main characters' lives intertwine by the slightest of events or compare in the bowels of their past.

The plot line, when it is existent in the realm of philosophy, focuses down on the survival of a relationship between Tereza and Tomas. '... with his mistresses , he could never quite put down the imaginary scapel. Since he longed to take posssesion of something deep inside them, he needed to slit them open'. Tomas' infidelites are the axis for all the philosophical musings of the novel. Tomas and Tereza display two complete opposites. Tereza is the vulnerable, dependant innocent. Tomas, however, is the control freak who needs to dominate those around him. Against his best intentions Tomas falls in love with Tereza and yet he is unable to stop seeing his mistresses or meeting new women. Tereza in her dependance on Tomas can do nothing to prevent this but her deep unrest is demonstrated through her dreams. For instance, there is one instance ( when Prague is deeply under the control of the communists which adds to the dark feel to that particular chapter), when Tomas sends Tereza to Petrin Hill in order to be shot. The interesting thing about this encounter however, is that it is never made clear that this event is a dream. ''No, no it wasn't my choice at all!' but she could not imagine betraying Tomas'. This dream demonstrates just how desperate Tereza feels and how under Tomas' control she truly is. There is sense of fear imbedded into this encounter, along with lack of choice and freedom which seems to reflect Prague as a whole. It is made clear to the reader that unless Tomas changes his behaviour and life he will lose Tereza, not from her leaving him, but from something closer to suicide. The other two main characters, Franz and Sabina, are Tomas and Tereza's parallel decisions in life, exploring how other relationships can fall apart despite the fact that at a glance Franz and Sabina appear the stronger couple.

This is a joyous read to anyone who is genuinely interested in pondering mild philosophy and learning about what life is like in a communist country. Kundera writes to teach his readers and he makes this clear by breaking from the narrative frequently to make a specific lesson or message that he is trying to put across crystal clear. However, a reader who longs for an exciting narrative with lots of adventure and twists should not pick up the Unbearable Lightness of being as you will then find yourself skipping large chunks of pages to find the next piece of narrative. Skipping the philosophy undermines what Kundera wanted from the Unbearable Lightness of Being. Kundera was not writing a quaint story about life in a communist country with a relationship in the background, he was writing philosophy of people in realtion to their relationships with communist Czechoslavakia in the background. Yet, i, not knowing what manner of book i had delved into, thoroughly enjoyed it. Kundera is a craftsman who manages to break with the narrative without the reader even noticing. At times it is as if Kundera is talking directly to me. Telling me stories from his youth with the names and places slightly changed. It is refreshingly simple in its premise and personal in its delivery.

ULOB- Karenin's smile

Summary

1. Tereza and Karenin's happy life in the country
2. Karenin's cancer
3. Karenin gave birth to two rolls and a bee, tomas recieves a mystery letter
4. Tereza's idyll- paradise
5. Karenin's death
6. Tomas is shot and turns into a rabbit
7. Mystery letters explained- the dance and happiness

Themes and motifs

• Camera
• innocence
• paradise
• banality
• shame
• love
• death
• strength and weakness
• rabbit
• dreams
• missions

Characters

Tereza

This section follows Tereza again. There is a sense that she is far happier than she has been at any other time. She still feels vulnerable but not as much as before. Oddly, she seems comforted by Tomas' incresing vulnerability as he ages. Karenin;s sickness and death greatly disturbes her. However, as Karenin seemed to represent all of Tereza's doubts of infidelity ( that being the reason why he was bought and why she poured all of her love into him) his death also foreshadows Tereza's trust in Tomas and thus her happiness

Tomas

Tomas has found peace in the countryside. He is no longer able to cheat on Tereza but this seems to benefit both of them. He is resolved as to that surgery was not his reason for living. It was his experieinces and emotions ( such as loving Tereza)

Narrative Voice

The narrative voice is much happier and content than it has been for most of the book. The symbols are less to do with death and depression than for most of the book. Kundera has left the heavy issues of politics to pursue the emotional ending of his characters and pass on his message for life and love. The ending is sudden and leaves one hanging. This could reflect real life ( it ends suddenly) or just an interesting way for Kundera to end the novel.

Place

The countryside seems to represent paradise found. Tereza especially mentions this fact. Things that are banal and odd are the norm. No one has shame. Kitsch does not rule.

ULOB- The Grand March

Summary

1. stalin's son and shit
2. Stalins' son- son of god
3. Does God have intestines?
4. Adams virile member
5. Kitsch
6. Sabina and May Day
7. The senator and happiness
8. Kitsch and communism/america
9. totlaitiarian kitsch
10. Tereza and Sabina compared
11. sabina's enemy = Kitsch
12. Was she a hippocrit?
13. political kitsch
14. Franz wants to go to Cambodia
15. Americans taking over in Cambodia
16. American Kitsch
17. Photographers at the parade
18. The actress wants the spotlight
19. Death of a photographer in the mine field
20. The end of the march
21. laughable play acting
22. retreat
23. The four categories of people
24. The dreamers Franz and Simon
25. Sabina in california
26. Franzs' attack
27. death of Franz
28. irony in death
29. kitsch in death

Themes and Motifs

• Happiness
• Kitsch
• shit
• politics
• communism and capitalism
• american and communist similarities
• death
• irony
• art
• camera
• control

Characters

Sabina

Sabina becomes more distant in the novel. She tries to run away again and again from her fear of being weighed down. She appears very unhappy and lonely.

Franz

Idolises Sabina. Constant dreamer. He wants to stop being Kitsch but is too sentimental and wishy washy...he is portrayed as naieve and very very stupid in his decisions, especially towards the end of his life.

Simon

Tomas' son becomes a much fuller character in this section. We see how needy he is of a connection to the father he never knew. There is an impression of him being religious by his use of vocab.

Narrative Voice

This section is perhaps the most political of all. Kundera seems intent of making the point that there are many similarities between america and USSR especially in terms of Kitsch. The reader gets the impression that Kundera does not approve of either consitiution

Place

Place becomes important once again in this section. Contrasted are Russia, america and Cambodia. Kundera uses different situations within these countries to demonstrate how similar and futile the fight against Kitsch is in all these countries. The idea of control within them all is also explored. Especially through cameras.

ULOB- Lightness and weight - women and the scapel

Summary

This chapter (chapter 9) explores Tomas' need for mistresses and conquering.



Context

• Explains to the reader how he can continually cheat on Tereza


• Philsophy of Tomas


• leads to greater understanding of Tomas, what makes him tick


• Developing Tomas' need of control


• Obsession


• Discovery


• conquest


• Scientific approach

Scapel

Kundera discusses how Tomas wanted to dissect each womans individual essence with a scapel. By using this word he emphasises Tomas' innate logical mind and scientific approach. This is underlined further when we see him verbal protocoling a particular womans essence when he divides her individuality into three categories or motifs. This word choice of the scapel and him slicing open women is also a sexual innuendo and creates images in the mind of other slicing motions that Tomas will be doing with these women.

So it was a desire not for pleasure (the pleasure came as an extra, a bonus) but for possesion of the world (slitting open the outstretched body of the world with his scapel) that sent him in pursuit of women.

ULOB- Lightness and weight 2

Summary

1. oedipus
2. communist regime- lack of freedom- Tomas' article
3. The debate of retraction
4. Everyone assumes he will do it
5. The minister of the interior
6. The ministers new idea
7. Es muss sein and being a doctor
8. Beethoven, es muss sein- window cleaner
9. Women and the scapel
10. Lyrical and epic womanizers- giraffe woman
11. sex with giraffe woman and disecting her essence
12. Tomas' lack of beauty with his sexual conquests/poetic memory- rug girl
13. Meeting with the son
14. Tomas does not sign
15. The image from which tomas was born and life is not repeated
16. Rebirth , optimism and pessimism
17. Two years of holiday exhausting
18. The failed holiday in the country and Tereza's dreams
19. Czech life changed
20. Meeting with an old colleague
21. Tomas discovers what Tereza thinks about his hair
22. aggresive stupidity of sex
23. femine calm, bulrush basket and Tereza

Themes

• es muss sein
• repetition
• holiday
• change
• love
• sex
• conquest
• control
• lightness and weight
• duty
• optimism and pessimism

Motifs

• bulrush basket
• oedipus
• scapel and disection of female essence
• poetic memory

Character

Tomas is the only character in this section really. Even Tereza we only meet once. All the characters in this section seem to be 2D to throw off of Tomas. The character S for instance. As his name is simply S this implies that he has a small insignificant role as he is not important enough even to have a real name. None of the other characters have names, they are simply minister, giraffe woman, S, son etc.

Tomas is confused with life and unsatisfied. He seems to ponder if his life is fruitless and how it has become that way. He still is very cold and emotiinless but becomes more aware of this fact.

Place

More imporatantly in this section rather than place in terms of setting (which has not changed as we're still in prague) is place in life which is really what Tomas spends this section exploring; what his place in life is and whether it is the right one or whether its even worth thinking about it.

Narrative Voice

The narrative voice is very different once again in this section. The lacunae become more frequent and Kundera begins to step out of the story again. It seems that Kundera is at his most analytical and philosophical with Tomas. This section is fraught with a light confusion as to whether Tomas has made the correct choices and for the right reasons as Kundera analyses all these decisions and possibilties of others which make the reader doubt Tomas' decisions and decision making abilities.

ULOB Soul and Body 2- Petrin Hill

Summary

Tereza is sent to Petrin Hill by tomas where people are voluntarily being executed. It is never stated that this encounter is a dream.

Context

• Assuming that this is a dream then there are parallels with the Swimming pool dream themes
• death
• control (especially concerning tomas being in control and power over Tereza.)
• Reality and Unreality are blurred showing Tereza's fragile state of mind.
• Tereza = feeling threatened
• Betrayal (Both ways, tereza and tomas have betrayed each other)
• Lack of choice - Prague, threat , secret police- these feelings of the city seem to be personified by Tereza; tomas therefore is Russia personified

Rifle/camera

Each of the volunteers is shot with a rifle but in Tereza's warped mind this could be symbolising how she herself put lives in jeopardy by taking pictures of the prague spring which were then used later on to arrest revolutionaries. The camera has gone from being a symbol of freedom and art to Tereza to being one of threat and death. However, as her art becomes death her freedom has thus been suppressed and Tereza feels repressed. This is further emphsised by the blindfolding. Tereza specifically asks not to be blindfolded as she is afraid of her senses being isolated. She feels that this isolation would further repress her. Also, there is the interesting image of each victim choosing their own tree to die against. This is so out of place that it must be an important motif that Kundera wishes the reader to pick up on, however, i find it difficult to fathom specifically what this is. The idea that the tree represents life seems too simple... could it perhaps symbolise czech culture being covered with death? This idea only really seems to make sense if the trees or forest is particularly important in czech life...

...'No, no it wasn't my choice at all!' but she could not imagine betraying Tomas.

This quote demonstrates the themes of control, dependance and betrayal. The speech is what Tereza wished she was able to say. the repetition of the word 'no' demonstrates how strongly she feels about the situation. The use of the word choice instead of decision also seems significant. By using the word choice rather than decision Kundera personalises the situation. Decision is a formal word that is connotated with matters of state, complications and complexity, whereas choice has much lighter connotations. Choice is a less formal word, it is simpler and all encompasing. We have freedom of choice rather than freedom of decision. The reader can therefore empathise with Tereza in this situation more. At the same time, it removes power from the executioner by using this informal word and makes it easier for tereza to withdraw. This seems to symbolise Tereza's view of Tomas who she finds intimidating until the odd moment when he shows care and affection thus allowing Tereza to open up and sob on his shoulder as she discuses later on in this section.

ULOB Soul and Body 2

Summary

1. Karenin wakes Tereza.


2. Radio politics- tension- no privacy


3. umbrella fight with women


4. concentration camp= Terza's past/mother


5. Body reflecting the soul?


6. what's in a soul?


7. Persecution and lack of privacy- man identified by photos of prague spring


8. flirtation and fidelity


9. Drunk boy flirts with Tereza


10. flirtation with engineer


11. Tomas' hair =infidelity...he asks her to go to petrin hill


12. Petrin Hill


13. No blindfold for Tereza at Petrin Hill


14. Tereza's grief


15. The Engineer's lure


16. In the flat of the engineer


17. banal sex with engineer


18. The engineers toilet


19. Tereza leaves


20. The crippled crow


21. The crow dies


22. Tereza looks in the mirror


23. Fear of the 'engineer'


24. Fear of the secret police


25. Holiday- identity of Czechoslavakia has changed


26. Fear of Tomas knowing her infidelity


27. Paranoia and confusion


28. Benches in the river

Themes and motifs

• Soul and body


• Crudeness


• Death


• forced situations


• Fear


• Paranoia


• Confusion


• Vertigo


• The body


• nudity


• the past vs the future


• benches in the river


• aesthetisism


• the crow


• identity

Characters

Tereza

This section focuses almost solely on Tereza. We fid her dissatisfied with life, paraoid of threat, fearing Tomas and other women. She feels too emotionally attached and wishes she could live more like her mother and be more of a body than a soul. This is why she constantly feels vertigo.

Tomas

By the sole act of Petrin Hill Tomas becomes more sinister. As this section does not come from his point of view we cann't know his reasoning behind it. He appears cold, emotionless. Tereza's opposite as she constantly bursts into tears in this section. He is perceived as strong in his coldness.

The Engineer

A relatively unexplored character. He is shrouded in mystery. We do not discover if he is a member of the secret police or not. He is alien and different.

Place

Set in Prague once more. Prague has become fractured. A place of paranoia. All the inhabitants seem to live in fear of discovery of blackmail or sin. We are reminded that Prague is not the romatisised fatasy of Franzs' imagination. There are various references to Prague and Czechoslavakia becoming Russian and no longer having its own identity.

Narrative Voice

Soul and Body 2 is far more narrative than any other section so far. Kundera chooses to show us this emotional stage of Czech history through Tereza as this means that the emotioanl side of it, the entrapment of the situation can e fully seen as only a character such as Tereza can fully display the fear and paranoia within the USSR's 'occupation'.

ULOB- words misunderstood

Summary

1. Geneva- Franzs' mistress sabina, bowler hat misundertstandment


2. Sabina's dissapointment in lack of frenzs' understnading of bowler hat


3. misunderstood words- woman, fidelity and betrayal, music, light and darkness


4. Sabina meets fellow emigrees


5. Misunderstood words- parades, beauty of new york, Sabinas country, cemetry


6. Marie-claude art gallery


7. Misunderstood words- the church in amsterdam, strength, living in truth,


8. Sabina decides to leave Franz


9. Sabina is gone


10. Sabina in paris


11. Franz's idolisation of Sabina

Themes and motifs

• contrasts


• misunderstanding


• bowler hat


• betrayal


• fidelity


• truth


• beauty


• judgement

Characters

Franz

Franz is parallel to Tereza. He is less weak/ dependant than her but is just as needy emotionally. He also has very idealistic views of truth, beauty and love. However, unlike Tereza who thinks she is unworthy of such romance, Franz wishes to immerse himself in it. He appears naive... especially in terms of his relationships.

Sabina

Sabina is parallel to Tomas. She is strong, dominant and wants to be in control of her own life. Her independance is very important to her; just like Tomas. Sabina seems to illustrate the other choices that Tomas could have made... perhaps to show to the reader which is the more fulfilling path even though one is more work? Her art and the sense of being different to others is also important to Sabina. The reader has the impression in Misunderstood words that she misses Tomas.

Place

This section is set in Geneva mainly, but also visits other European and one american city. Geneva is the opposite of Prague. It is orderly, peaceful and quiet. It seems that Kundera wishes to portray opposites in every sense. Franz thoroughly loves the serenity of Geneva but is drawn by the romance of being in a chaos city such as Prague. Sabina does not seem to feel at home anywhere... At every place that she lives she finds something to betray and run from. In Geneva Sabina finds a hippocitical natureto the city which she finds abhorrent...along with Franz who seems to good to be true.

Narrative Voice

The Narration still flows seamlessly despite the frequent lacunae. I think Kundera manages this by linking ideas from one chapter to the next... having the narration of the story merely being a menas to explain the philosophical point he wishes to make. The fact that he is telling a story is less emphasised in this section.

ULOB- Soul and body

Soul and body summary

• Tereza's background


• Tereza's mother


• Tereza's soul


• How Tereza and Tomas met


• The scream and the hand in the night


• Analysis of Tereza's dream


• Vertigo


• Sabina and Tereza bonding in the studio


• Photographs


• Swiss life for Tereza


• Back to Prague

Themes

• body and soul
• vanity
• soul reflected through the face
• sacrifice and guilt
• chance encounters
• music
• dreams
• vertigo
• helplessness and control
• art and photography
• nudity vs modesty
• liberty vs repression
• dependance
• responsibility and duty

Motifs

• swimming pool dream
• nudity
• books
• anna karenina
• music- beethoven
• camera
• 6
• mirror
• youth and beauty
• blame and shame
• suitcase

Characters

Tereza

Her character is developed in this section and we understand her much better. Looking at her mother and how Tereza is so ashamed of her past allows us to see how she can become so dependant on Tomas. The reader is led realise that Tereza has the ability to be afraid of anything as her emotional state is so delicate and she has the tendancy to be paranoid.

Tomas

His character is not deveolped particularly in this section. The idea of Tomas' control is emphasised however, particularly with his order of 'strip'.

Sabina

Sabina is developed in this section most strongly as in this section she becomes a much fuller character rather than simply Tomas' mistress. She is developed through her artwork ; as she explains her paintings the reader gets the impresson of how unconventional and independant she wishes to be.

Place

As in lightness and weight the two main settings are Prague and Zurich. The only difference that comes with Tereza's viewpoint is how she sees the two places. At the end of the section she expresses how Prague seems to her to be a 'camp of the weak' and she relates with this and returns to Prague. Zurich, to Tereza unlike Tomas, is very much a foreign place where she is dependant for every part of her life. Prague=control Zurich=dependance

Narrative Voice

As before there are definite moments where the author reminds us hat he is but telling a story with fictional characters. He still continues to break with the narrative to explore philosophy and also to bring movements in time. The frequent lacunae give a fast paced feel. Curiously i do not find the book jumpy but i can't quite put my finger on why yet...

Quotes

'Tereza was born of the rumblings of a stomach' pg37

'irreconcilable duality of the body and the soul' pg37

'she thought she saw her soul shining through the features of her face.'

'her soul would rise to the surface of her body like a crew charging up from the bowels of a ship, spreading out at the deck, and singing in jubilation.' pg 39

'being a mother meant sacrficing everything'pg 41

'Her behaviour was but a single grand gesture, the casting off of youth and beauty' pg 43

'books were the emblem of the secret brotherhood' pg45

'there she stood before sabina naked and disarmed.' 62

'a carnival of hate filled with a curious (and no longer explicable) euphoria' pg 64

'camp of the weak' 69

'she was like her country, which stuttered , gasped for breath, could not speak.' pg 71

'heay suitcase above her head' 72

'it was a sense of beauty that cured her of her depression and imbued her with a new will to live.' 74

The Unbearable lightness of being- lightness and weight

Lightness and weight summary

• Explanation of the term lightness and weight
• Introduced to Tomas and Tereza
• Tomas' background
• Tomas' infidelities
• Tereza's dreams
• linguistics of compassion
• Karenin
• The Prague Spring
• Zurich
• muss es sein?

Themes

• philosophy
• fidelity vs infidelity
• lightness vs weight
• how do you define what is positive and what is negative?
• Dreams
• isolation
• shame vs guilt
• love

Characters

Tomas

• doctor, divorced
• associates lightness with positive
• sleeping and sex are opposites

Tereza

• Dependant
• Afraid of women
• threatened
• associates weight with positive

Motifs

• aesthetics
• culture
• politics
• animals

Place

There are two main settings in this section. Prague and Zurich. However, these places are only significant in so far as they relate to the events of the prague spring. In both cities Tomas and Tereza live in a small flat bare of all but the necesities of life. For Tereza and Tomas Prague symbolises weight and Zurich lightness therefore they are pulled to opposite cities. It is only love that keeps them together and ultimately in Prague for Tereza's peace of mind.

Narrative Voice

The narrative voice is the voice of the author. The reader is very aware of the fact that the author has created these characters from his experiences and this point is emphasised at points within the novel. At times Kundera focuses on different characters and aspects at a time and in lightness and weight he most certainly focuses on Tomas.

Quotes

'i have been thinking about Tomas for many years' pg5

'she seemed a child to him, a child someone has put in a blurush basket daubed with pitch and sent downstream ...' pg6

'If polybus hadn't taken in the young oedipus, sophocoles wouldn;t have written his most beautiful tragedy.' pg10

'making love with a woman and sleeping with a woman are two seperate passions, not merely different but opposite.' pg 14

'All women were potential mistresses for Tomas and she feared them all' pg 17

'The realization that he was utterly powerless was like the blow of a sledgehammer, yet it was curiuosly calming as well.' pg 28