Literary Fragmentation as a Gnoseological Tool from Modernism to Contemporaneity: Der Mann Ohne Eigeschaften by Robert Musil and Les Années by Annie Ernaux

Abstract

Literature can be regarded as a cognitive mode that transcends binary and oppositional views of rationality and irrationality, sustaining a dialectical tension between precision and possibility. Through the strategic use of fragmentation, the literary form is not dissolved; instead, it invites a rethinking and reshaping. The essence of this paper goes beyond mere experimentalism; it contends that the use of fragments establishes a profound link between form and content, coupled with a meticulous attention to the moment of text production. Drawing examples from two literary works of the early twentieth century – Robert Musil's Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften and Annie Ernaux's Les Années – both shaped as “fragments of fragments”, the paper aims to explore the role of literary fragmentation as a gnoseological path. Moreover, the use of the fragment can be intricately tied to the concept of Essayism, understood in its etymological sense of an attempt. The incompleteness of reality becomes constitutive of the literary form, embodying an analysis of alternative possibilities. In contemporary times, the cultural and social landscape resonates with sentiments and reflections reminiscent of the modernist era.