A defining element of Yves Theriault's work, sexuality has frequently been perceived by various critics as a motif which serves to reinforce other, often extraliterary readings. It is my intention on the other hand to study this phenomenon from the viewpoint of its fundamental importance as the primary theme in order to delimit its significance on the structural level. I mean to accentuate not only the principal parameters of the sexual identity of Theriault's characters but also the environment which oversees and influences the origins and the development of their sexuality. It follows from this that nature in his novels and short stories shows itself to be a highly eroticised presence which serves as a model for man in his perpetual struggle for the key to a harmonious relationship with woman. I begin by giving an overview of Theriault's erotic universe before going on to study in greater depth the specificity of the sexual exchange between man and woman. This leads us to the formulation of a more precise idea of the sexual centre of his work. My conclusion takes us inexorably back to the outset of the study, for it underlines the essential contribution of an eroticised nature to the development of a healthy sexual and emotional relationship within the couple. The general direction of this procedure reflects to no small degree the cyclical, never-ending quest of a writer who is continually striving for the salvation of mankind through his art.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.72025 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Creators | Benson, Mark, 1951- |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | French |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Département de langue et littérature françaises.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000226388, proquestno: AAINL24019, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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