Esoteric Ideas in Novel by Philippe Ragueneau “The Other Side of Life”

Abstract

The given article treats the functioning of esoteric motives in francophone literature in general and in the creative work of French writer Ph. Ragueneau in particular. The light is thrown upon the genesis of concept “esoterism” in a modern scientific paradigm as well as the reasons and criteria of modulations of intellectual and literary reception of the esoteric, since the XIX century up to nowadays. The interrelations of the esoteric believes with discoveries of the epoch of scientific and technical progress are considered, the social aspect of distinction of the concepts “science” and “para-science” is designated. The phenomenon of presence splash of esoteric ideas in fiction and the ontological importance of the esoteric in the epoch of complex political and social conflicts is noted. On a material of the novel by Ph. Ragueneau “The Other Side of Life” is shown the artistic realization of esoteric ideas by the modern writer for interpretation of the psychological personal drama connected with death theme (it is the loss of the beloved person, suffering, mourning, etc.). A dialogue with the lost person by means of telepathy is written out in Ragueneau’s work using the art-style method of prosopopoeia, having features of metaleptic writing with the inherent variations of focalization and “reality effect” by Barthes. On the example of history of mourning of the husband on his died wife the author of the novel throws light upon the conflict of the Cartesian scientific thinking with the intervention of irrational during a human life, a final indispensability for the person to comprehend an idea of existence of the beyond, as well as close communication of any spiritual meditation with esoterics. Therefore the communicative diagram of the work becomes a transcommunicative diagram as, considering a discovery of psychoanalysis, the article proves, that the communication of the person with a material world always occurs through the area of unconscious, and consequently, paranormal. Discursive strategies of supernatural and invisible are studied in the work by Ragueneau also through the paratext, uniting the features of autobiographical and esoteric. And the individual esoteric experience stated be Ragueneau in the form of diarist writing, acts as a key of comprehension of the important psychological problems of a human life. It is concluded, that esoteric ideas in the literature often act as art method of escape from the reality during an epoch of wars and growth of violence.