『침묵의 시간』에 나타난 서사적 장치로서의 질병

Abstract

Time of Silence is a work which presents a new novelistic aesthetics through verbal experiments and segmented narrative techniques, breaking away from the dominant realist tradition of novels in the 1950s. Nevertheless, this work does not merely focus on introducing aesthetics changes, but it also offers a deep reflection of human beings and their society at a broader level. Although this novel is different from the social novels of previous times, it still contains similar social critical elements, and the figure of the main character is built up under an eminently existentialist perspective. In addition, the introduction of demythologizing elements contributing to the deconstruction of the Spanish national narrative established during the Francoist era is also remarkable. In this context, Time of Silence has been understood in various ways apart from its experimental dimension. This study focuses on the usage of disease as the narrative device which enables multi-layered interpretations. In this novel, disease encompasses not only physical disturbances, but also social and existentialist phenomena related to human existence which are implied metaphorically. In fact, various diseases appear in this work and carry a great weight in the narrative. A good example of this is the employment of cancer research as a basic driving force in the development of the narrative, as it is useful to show the particular relationship between individuals and society. The main character of the novel is deeply frustrated with his study on the effect of cancerous cells, which leads him to the “disease of reason” and “Spain’s disease”, metaphorical expressions for social phenomena and also for the portrayal of the main character in a state of lethargy. All this reminds us of the despair that Kierkegaard expressed in “Sickness Unto Death”. In this way, this study examines how the pathological factors presented in Time of Silence function as narrative devices and how they are closely connected to the problematic perceptions of individuals and society which this work tries to present.