Documents found
-
16.
-
17.
-
20.More information
Chance is a pervasive theme of Milan Kundera's novels. From La plaisanterie to L'identité, chance is at the center of his literary practice. Sometimes an enigma to be solved, at other times the force responsible for meetings and accidents, chance is as much a narrative stimulus for Kundera as it is a central element in his playful treatment of characters. Concentrating on La valse aux adieux, L'insoutenable légèreté de l'être and L'immortalité—in which the author himself proposes a “theory of chance”—, this article examines the underpinnings and consequences of chance in the world of Kundera's novels. Taking a fresh look at Kundera's work and at his “acausal” chance, this article contributes to a redefinition of the novel's parameters, especially concerning the logic of cause and effect and unity of action, and leads more generally to an examination of the role of chance in the contemporary novel.