Water And The Eternal Return Of Life In Un Beau Tenebreux

The water forms the background in majority of literary works of Julien Gracq. As the primitive image, the water is often related to the theme life/death, reflects author’s comprehension about the existence. In the present work, taking the second novel of Julien Gracq Un beau tenebreux as example, we try to analyze author’s writing and his reflection of destiny, in the hope of discovering the mystery of the eternal life, relying on the thoughts of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard.We start by analyzing the different forms of water in the novel in order to highlight the characteristics of this imaginary body, by applying the method called "microlecture" of Jean-Pierre Richard. We also analyze the relationship between this imaginary body and the main characters in the novel to present a veritable water world.After analyse in chapitre one, we study more deeply the meaning of water. Based on the features of water, we try to discover the life and destiny course of the human being:death and life are not opposed. Death is the return of life, indicates a waiting for a new birth. It is in the eternal return that life obtains the eternity.The notion of water also runs through the whole writing of Gracq. The free creation way, the nested structure, the finality without end, etc. are discussed in the final section to bring out a writing which is streaming, shimmering and circular. Based on this aquatic writing, we also study the mechanism of return and his relation with the eternal vitality on the level of text.The aims of this work are as follows:first, to strengthen the popularity of Gracq in China; secondly to provide a new perspective to understand the work of Gracq; and finally, to illustrate the eternal return of life, so to give some inspirations on the philosophical problem:where do we come from and where do we go.