The Erasers Short Guide

The Erasers Themes

Preview of The Erasers Summary:

The thematic structure of The Erasers is curious and complex. It would appear, at first glance, to be the most comprehensible of Robbe-Grillet's works, because it has a discernible plot, following the outline of the Oedipus myth: a murder has been committed (actually, a series of them), and the man who is sent to find the murderer is ultimately led to the discovery that it is himself. There are frequent allusions to the myth and to the investigator Wallas's role as Oedipus' counterpart.

What prevents the reader from satisfying himself that this is simply a modern version of an ancient tragedy, however, is the profusion of painstaking descriptions of objects whose significance is ostensibly nonexistent. In the case of the eraser, the object itself may be nonexistent; it "appears" largely in the mind and memory of Wallas. He tries repeatedly to obtain one of the sort he remembers...
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