Scan barcode
A review by dcossai
La Symphonie pastorale by André Gide
5.0
Like that of many other great French writers, Nobel prize winner André Gide's work is highly philosophical and provides food for thought. La symphonie pastorale finds its roots in the author's own biography, mainly his anti-Christian stance and his illicit love life characterised by his homosexuality and marriage to his cousin Madeleine.
This novella reminded of the only passage from The Brothers Karamazov which I am (so far) familiar with, when the Grand Inquisitor blames Christ's refusal of Satan's temptations for humanity's evil. La symphonie pastorale deals with similar questions about God's work, mainly that the senses, by allowing us to fully experience his creation, push us towards sin; people are either physically blind (Gertrude) or morally blind (the narrator, and possibly Jacques). This question is explicitly stated early in the novella, but although the narrator denies it, it pervades the entire work through symbolism. The main character and narrator, who is a pastor, increasingly manipulates biblical passages to justify his actions, just as Dostoevsksy's inquisitor uses a story from the Bible to justify the inquisition's role in society. Given its brevity, I believe this work should be read by anyone who is philosophically or theologically inclined.
This novella reminded of the only passage from The Brothers Karamazov which I am (so far) familiar with, when the Grand Inquisitor blames Christ's refusal of Satan's temptations for humanity's evil. La symphonie pastorale deals with similar questions about God's work, mainly that the senses, by allowing us to fully experience his creation, push us towards sin; people are either physically blind (Gertrude) or morally blind (the narrator, and possibly Jacques). This question is explicitly stated early in the novella, but although the narrator denies it, it pervades the entire work through symbolism. The main character and narrator, who is a pastor, increasingly manipulates biblical passages to justify his actions, just as Dostoevsksy's inquisitor uses a story from the Bible to justify the inquisition's role in society. Given its brevity, I believe this work should be read by anyone who is philosophically or theologically inclined.