Love in and out of Uniform: Forest of the Hanged by Liviu Rebreanu
Love in and out of Uniform: Forest of the Hanged by Liviu Rebreanu

Summary/Abstract: The study investigates the main character of the novel Forest of the Hanged (1922) by Liviu Rebreanu on the basis of the erotic theme which, although not manifest throughout the narrative construction, is nonetheless quite significant. The eros “feeds” the main discourse of self-enlightenment; at the same time, it is a highly accurate indicator of Apostol Bologa’s inner struggle. The central point of the novel, social mimesis and authenticity, co-exists with the representation of the two forms of eros—pride-driven eros and passionate-spiritualised eros. The adventure of the character’s conscience, from the pressure exercised by exterior circumstances to the balance he maintains with its own nature, can be read, despite Rebreanu’s austere style, in the entire history of Apostol’s clothes/disguise, until the ultimate “Adamic nudity” of the man who regains his paradisiacal condition.

• Details
• Contents