Moderato Cantabile

Moderato Cantabile is one of the many novels written by Marguerite Duras.

Plot

It concerns the life of a woman, Anne Desbaresdes, and her varying relationships with her child, the piano teacher Mademoiselle Giraud and Chauvin. Chauvin is a working-class man who is currently unemployed and whiles away his time in a café near the apartment where Anne Desbaresdes' child takes piano lessons with Madame Giraud. After the fatal shooting of a woman in the café by her lover, Anne and Chauvin imagine the relationship between the lovers and try to reason why it occurred. Anne frequently returns to the café, before returning to her comfortable home, the last house on the Boulevard de la Mer, which itself represents the social divide between the working- and middle-classes.

Characters

Anne Desbaresdes The wife of a wealthy director of downtown factories, Anne belongs to the upper echelon of the town's social class. One day, while at her child's piano lesson, she sees and becomes intrigued by the murder of a woman by her possible lover. Subsequent chapter see Anne returning to the cafe where the murder was committed, often speculating upon details of the murder with Chauvin, a worker who used to work in the factories her husband manages. Her venture into the cafe is considered a social faux-pas, as she comes into a shabby cafe where her husband's workers retire to daily; these workers recognize both Chauvin and Anne. While inventing details of the murder, Chauvin and Anne seem to have a metaphysical relationship reflected in their invented ideas; their relationship begins with talk about how the murdered couple's relationship began, and ends with Anne's acknowledgment that she is dead; reflective , again, of the murdered couple's relationship. Her life is characterized by repetition: many elements, such as her walk down the Boulevard of the Sea, the suppressed imagery of violence, the siren, seem to recur in succeeding chapters. One reading of the novelette interprets Anne's actions as an attempt to escape this repetition, ultimately culminating in the same repetition she was trying to avoid. She has an intense and profound attachment to her child, which may be interpreted as her inability to let go of maternal responsibilities.

Chauvin Chauvin is a middle-to-lower class man who used to work at Anne's husband's factory. His name seems to be an allusion to "chauvinism," referring to his often dominating tone during conversations with Anne. He remarks that he often has nothing to do. Throughout the novel, he has unusually detailed knowledge of Anne's house and habits. He knows her directly via the repetitious reception that Anne's husband gives for workers at his factory. He seems to have a (sexual) relationship with Anne that is achieved through words instead of physical contact.

The Child The child, 'l'enfant' in French, is never given a name, like many of the characters in the novelette. He is a talented piano player, but has little enthusiasm for learning the technicality of piano-playing: he doesn't make an effort to learn the meaning of tempo, nor does he find practicing scales necessary. The piece he plays throughout the novelette is the Diabelli Sonanta, the tempo of which composes the title: Moderato Cantabile. He is stubborn, and refuses to yield to the orders of his teacher, Madame Giraud. Critics have pointed to this stubbornness as a reflection of Anne's refusal to give into the repetition of her life; this may be the reason that Anne approves of the child's obstinate behavior.

Madame Giraud Madame Giraud is the piano teacher for Anne's child. She disapproves of Anne's upbringing of the child, and stereotypes the strict teacher of the 20th century: at one point in the novelette she is portrayed with a ruler.

Mr. Desbaresdes"' Throughout the novelette Anne's husband is never really mentioned by reference or name, instead given the impersonal "on" in the French novel. Translated, this means "one." This suggests that he is never a real physical presence in Anne's life, although his presence looms upon her. He is a wealthy factory-owner in the small town. The Desbaresdes' house is situated towards the end of a long Boulevard of the Sea, suggesting that it is the richest in town.

The bartender The bartender works at the cafe where the murder first occurs. She is a bystander of the metaphysical affair between Anne and Chauvin, and serves them wine from time to time. She usually serves clients who come from the factory at 6:00 pm from work. When she is not conversing with them, she is knitting a red sweater. This color sustains the motif of the color red throughout the novelette. Towards the latter stages of the relationship between Anne and Chauvin, she disapproves of their relatinoship, but says nothing.

Style

This book was published in 1958 and marked a rupture in her writing style, changing from realism into existentialism.