Plot Summary

Moderato Cantabile

Marguerite Duras
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Moderato Cantabile

Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1958

Book Brief

Marguerite Duras

Moderato Cantabile

Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1958
Book Details
Pages

166

Format

Novella • Fiction

Setting

Unnamed French Town • 1950s

Publication Year

1958

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

Moderato Cantabile by Marguerite Duras tells the story of Anne Desbaresdes, a wealthy industrialist's wife, who befriends Chauvin, an unemployed man, after witnessing a violent crime. Anne becomes fascinated by the passion driving the act and frequently meets Chauvin at a café, seeking escape from her dull life and exploring a forbidden allure. The story delves into themes of desire, social conventions, and the search for freedom. This novel includes depictions of graphic violence.

Melancholic

Mysterious

Bittersweet

Contemplative

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Marguerite Duras' Moderato Cantabile is praised for its lyrical prose and exploration of emotional isolation. Critics commend its innovative narrative structure and evocative atmosphere. However, some find the pacing slow and the plot minimalistic to a fault. Overall, Moderato Cantabile is lauded for its depth and literary craft, appealing mainly to readers who appreciate introspective and symbolic storytelling.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Moderato Cantabile?

Readers who appreciate Marguerite Duras's Moderato Cantabile would enjoy a contemplative narrative, rich with poetic prose and imbued with existential themes. Fans of Albert Camus's The Stranger or Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea will find a similar allure in Duras's exploration of human emotion and societal constraints.

Book Details
Pages

166

Format

Novella • Fiction

Setting

Unnamed French Town • 1950s

Publication Year

1958

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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