Amor Interruptus

Eroticism has often been pointed out as major theme in works of Claude Simon. Recently two short studies have appeared on subject: Les Signes de L'Eros by Raymond Jean and Erotisme et cr6ation, ou la mort en sursis by John Fletcher.1 Raymond Jean limits his investigation to study of two passages: one taken from La Route des Flandres (pp. 257-92), other from La Bataille de Pharsale (pp. 211-26). The author restricts himself to bringing out and specifying how erotic in Simon is based on vegetal and animal themes. John Fletcher ventures li tle further, and, referring to Georges Bataille's L'Erotisme, seeks a point of view which will show unity of human mind or, better yet, the harmony existing between different drives of our being (p. 131). After having singled out some of pertinent characteristics of he believes it possible to locate this unity in artistic creation and, in conclusion, finds presence of desperate intimately linked, as in Marquis de Sade and his Romantic successors, to idea of death (p. 140). These4two studies -which, by way, are not without contention -do not specify exactly what must be understood by eroticism. In fact eroticism does pose immense (Thierry Maulnier). In first place, we run into question of language. As noted by Claude Elsen: There is in word eroticism an ambiguity which makes its use difficult and dangerous.5 This ambiguity comes first from problems of language, which appear most sharply when we use and oppose certain concepts such as love, sexuality, eroticism, vague notions which necessitate definition. Any discussion of eroticism requires careful definition of scope of term. Raymond Jean shows he is aware of this necessity when he sees himself obliged to establish distinction between sexual and erotic: the

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