Posted by Sterling on 8/3/2009, 18:13:13, in reply to "Re: Alain Robbe-Grillet, Jealousy - This post contains SPOLIERS"
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I read "Jealousy" last night. I have put off reading this thread until I finished the book (thanks for the spoilers heads-up). I certainly enjoyed reading all the observations.
I'm not sure that I have much to add to what has already been said. I have an observation about the (apparently much maligned) counting of the banana trees. Counting is a defensive coping strategy employed by individuals with obsessive-compulsive traits to manage anxiety. I know that Robbe-Grillet would have hated a psychological interpretation of his work. Still, the curious combination of obsessive jealous rumination and absurdly precise observations is a perfect example of an obsessive-compulsive psyche decompensating. The narrator keeps his overwhelming anxiety of his jealous (and violent) ruminations at bay by counting and measuring. (I believe that the car wreck is an intrusive fantasy/fear and not an actual event. There's too much detail of how A... and Franck behaved after they returned from town.) I understand that Robbe-Grillet used the peculiarly precise descriptions in other works. I suspect that it doesn't always suit the material as well as it does here. Intentionally or not, this novel lends itself perfectly to a psychological interpretation. I enjoyed it, but unlike several of you, I do not intend to re-read it any time soon. Nor do I think that I will be rushing to but more of R-G's work. I will probably read In the Labyrinth, but maybe not right now.
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