An Religious Theological Analysis Of The Temptation Of Saint Antony

Flaubert is a famous novelist of 19th century realism, his fourth novel The Temptation of Saint Antony is a novel with very special characteristics that has received lot of criticism. It also represents Flaubert's pioneering attempts to write a modernist novel,°research on The Temptation of Saint Antony has thus always been a hot and difficult issue. However, scientific approaches towards The Temptation of Saint Antony in China and abroad remain mainly on an interpretative-descriptive level and are limited to the artistic peculiarities of the text and the understanding of its manifold meanings, while the deeper origin of the text and the theological connotation are seldom dealt with.Taking into account findings of earlier research, the thesis analyses the novel The Temptation of Saint Antony both on a top and a deeper level. The thesis starts by looks at the novel from the perspective of a one night novel, a seven act religious tragedy as well as a metaphorical novel. It analyses in detail the special character of the novel in terms of change of time and space, the special feature of the scenic description as well as its metaphorical meaning.On a deeper layer, the novel first of all shows the distinctive characteristic of a polyphonic novel. Due to the equal relationship between the author and the main character the characters of the novel display their self-consciousness, the narration is characterized by overlapping, interrupted and simultaneous dialogue, the characters and their fate are incomplete and indefinite, the polyphonic method causes a plentiful and openness of meaning. Secondly, The Temptation of Saint Antony implies plentiful theological thinking. It reflects the debate about the spirit and nature of Jesus Christ in the Christian theological history of the 2nd to the 5th century. Moreover, Flaubert skillfully uses the materialistic and atheistic thinking of Benedict De Spinoza in order to criticize contemporary theological thinking. The Temptation of Saint Antony is thus characterized by a dense religious flavor and plentiful religious related connotations.The final aim of the thesis is to try to determine the relation between Flaubert and his novel The Temptation of Saint Antony. The thesis conies to the conclusion that Flaubert uses the relaxation of feeling in The Temptation of Saint Antony in order to save himself. At the same time, in St. Antoinne's dream Flaubert reveals the true features of human distorted spiritual world and thereby reflects how puzzled and lost humanity is in search for its true nature. The whole novel reveals Flaubert's reflection on contemporary society and his concern about the world.