The French Enlightenment: Sources of Milan Kundera's Sense of Irony and Cultural Identity

• In Event: Milan Kundera: A Wide Garden

Abstract

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Kundera's oeuvre is that he switched to writing in French, which has often been seen as a merely economic choice. However, my paper will argue that not only should this not be unexpected due to Kundera's long-standing engagement with Enlightenment thought, but that his linguistic change reflects a deep allegiance to the irony of the French Enlightenment thinkers, helping us understand not only his switch to the French language, but also a fundamental aspect of his larger work.

Author

• Daniel Webster Pratt, Ohio State U