(Re-)Awakening the Senses in Le Clézio's L'Inconnu sur la terre and Serres's Les Cinq sens

ORCID

Moser: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3824-1021

MSU Affiliation

College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures

Creation Date

2026-06-01

Abstract

Directly taking aim at Cartesian dualities, anthropocentrism, convoluted abstractions and the nefarious effects of hyper-reality, a salient feature of J. M. G. Le Clézio's and Michel Serres's literary projects is to restore our dulled senses to their original vitality. Both authors urge the reader to transcend the limitations of rationality by (re-)establishing a direct relationship to the universe to which all life forms are connected. For Le Clézio and Serres, it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the complex nature of material reality and our connection to it owing to the world of ubiquitous simulations among which we now spend the majority of our existence. Moreover, Le Clézio and Serres express their fears related to the consequences of cosmic alienation. Explaining that our homocentric thought systems are perhaps 'too cerebral' in nature, both writers compel us to taste, touch, feel, hear and smell the planetary mystery of which our species constitutes a small part. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press for the Court of the University of St Andrews. All rights reserved.

Publication Date

6-4-2014

Publication Title

Forum for Modern Language Studies

Publisher

Oxford University Press; University of St. Andrews; Court of the University of St. Andrews

First Page

341

Last Page

355

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1093/fmls/cqu016