L’humanisme qui passe par l’abîme: Thomas Mann and Marguerite Yourcenar

Francheska Zemyarska
Sofia University

https://doi.org/10.53656/bel2023-5-3Z

Abstract. In her essay, “Humanism and Hermeticism in Thomas Mann” (1955 – 1962), Marguerite Yourcenar offers a nuanced examination of Thomas Mann's oeuvre as a conduit for probing the transmutations of a contemporary humanism, which has weathered an intense existential conundrum exemplified by the concept of l'humanisme qui passe par l'abîme or humanism that has “passed through the abyss.” Delving into Yourcenar's reflective discourse and subsequent novel, “The Abyss” (1968), uncovers a deep-seated interrelation between Yourcenar and Mann, as both authors navigate the reformation of European heritage against a tumultuous backdrop of crisis and upheaval. This discourse underscores a transition toward a more traditional novelistic form and a disavowal of radical experimentalism, which are deemed pivotal in the re-envisioning of a modern humanism that acknowledges decay and the presence of the demonic drive. This reconceptualization suggests a new type of modern humanism, one that both acknowledges and overcomes the antihumanistic tendencies of the era.
Keywords: modern humanism; Thomas Mann; Marguerite Yourcenar; Sigmund Freud; epistola; classic forms; opus nigredo

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