La structure de dédoublement: Objectivité et mythe dans les Thibault de Roger Martin du Gard

Although the ‘oedipal’ nature of Les Thibault (the roman fleuve which brought Roger Martin du Gard the Noble Prize for Literature in 1937) is quite obvious to most readers, this aspect of the novel has never received critical attention. This study shows how, in combination with the related mythical theme of the ‘twins,’ the oedipal structure generates a system of oppositions which underlies the entire world of Les Thibault and confers a basic thematic unity on the novel. A reading of what can be considered the novel’s two endings (the conclusion of L’Ete 1914 and the Epilogues) suggests that this system of oppositions corresponds to a double perspective on reality which is also present in the narrative discourse, and which characterizes the writer’s relation both with his text and with the world.