Longe da Água, by Michel Laub

from narrative building to the problematic hero

Abstract

The objective of this work, from a look towards the narrator self (present) and the narrated self (past), is to think about the characteristics of the contemporary narrator, observing how the temporal element acted in this character of the novel Longe da água (2004 ), by Michel Laub. Regarding the methodology, it is based on the narratological perspective of Gérard Genette (1979), and comes to the studies of Sigmund Freud by facing the traumatic trajectory of the protagonist character of Michel Laub. Furthermore, the reflections of Jeanne Marie Gagnebin (2006) will be relevant for understanding the role of memory in the construction of the novel by Laub's author-hero. By understanding that the traumatic trajectory of the protagonist is directly linked to his choices made in the past, the presence of the problematic hero within the novel is glimpsed and, thus, Georg Lukács (2000) will be invited to the discussion. It is hoped that this work results in an understanding of certain peculiarities of contemporary Brazilian literature, which seems to assume the difficult mission of representing the individual as a being torn apart by interiors conflicts.