The Study Of Characters Of Urban Youth In Modiano’s Novels

As one of France’s most talented writers today, Patrick Modiano received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2014. He, Le Clezio and Perec who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008 are called as "three stars of French literature". Le Clezio is fond of undertaking adventure and exploration, and his works are full of exotic nature and meticulous tracing of natural scenery. Meanwhile, claiming himself an "old Parisian" who has hardly ever left Paris, Modiano regards the city as the main stage of his literary creation. Most of his characters are coming back and forth on the grand stage of Paris, and among them the writer focus on the youth group in urban area specially. The writer manifests a disturbing and threatening urban space through the lens of these urban youth who are mostly in their 20s. Seekers and escapers are two main types of urban youth images in Modiano’s works throughout the entire creation course of Modiano. The lost of identity is the trigger of urban youth’s embarking on the quest for their selves, while fears and confusion in their hearts are the germination source of fleeing consciousness. Selecting La Place de VEtoile, Les Boulevards de ceinture, La Ronde de nuit, Rue des boutiques obscures, Une Jeunesse, Dans le cafe de la jeunesse perdue as main objects of research, this thesis sets out to analyze and summarize these two types of urban youth images and reveal the social and cultural significance.This thesis consists of three parts, including introduction, main body and conclusion. The introduction part combs Modiano’s life experience and creation course briefly, and analyzes the significance and value of the topic of this thesis on the basis of the research status on Modiano’s works from home and abroad.There are three chapters in the main body. The first chapter summarizes and analyzes the urban youth image’s characteristics in Modiano’s works from three aspects, namely the loss of identity, identity confusion and identity pursuit. Jewish youth lost their identities because of the social bias and the war. In special environment, the urban youth feel confused because of the multiple identities, finally, the urban youth are stimulated to search for themselves by the lost identity and the obfuscationof of ethical identity. The second chapter analyzes the image of those who fled the city and their nihilistic characteristics:those who are forced by external pressure to escape from the city and those who keep loyal to their inner hearts show a positive and negative nihilism respectively. At the same time, this chapter also compares and analyzes both the similarities and differences between the urban escapers, the "superfluous" and the "Lost Generation". The third chapter analyzes the artistic techniques Modiano applies to shape the image of urban youth. The combination of virtuality and reality is the main artistic techniques of Modiano’s works. He is good at using white space and the juxtaposition of reality and illusion to create a mysterious artistic effect to highlight the uncertainty of identity and the nihilism features of characters. On the other hand, unique urban space is also an important way to create urban youth images. Compartmentalized and opposite urban space symbolizes the loss of personal identity and the split of the state, while free and safe urban space implies that the hero of the will pursue the ideal life and escape from Paris.The conclusion part summarizes the main reasons of Modiano’s continuous focus on the urban youth. The transition of the urban youth image marks the extension of Modiano’s focus from the identity issue to the contemplation on the infinitesimal of individuals and the absurdity of survival, which reveals the people’s survival circumstances after World War Ⅱ more profoundly.