R. Barthes의 『사랑의 단상(Fragments d’un discours amoureux, 1977)』에 내재하는 불교적 색채 탐구 = An Exploration of the Buddhist Undertones in R. Barthes’s A Lover’s Discourse (Fragments d’un discours amoureux, 1977)

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study is conducted as a literature-based analysis focusing on the interpretation of Barthes’s A Lover’s Discourse. To this end, it first examines the principles and methods Barthes applied in the writing of A Lover’s Discourse. It then organizes and classifies the literary sources referenced in the text, selecting those that appear to be related to Buddhism. Finally, based on the selected Buddhist-related materials, the study interprets the textual characteristics of Barthes’s work in terms of both content and structure.
Through this process, it is revealed that Barthes’s text exhibits structural similarities with the logic of sokuhi (即非), and that concepts such as Nietzsche’s eternal return and nirvana, mentioned in the text, lead to the Buddhist ideas of anātman (non-self) and śūnyatā (emptiness), offering alternatives to overcome the closed nature of the lover’s discourse. Furthermore, connections and similarities with Buddhism are also found in Barthes’s references to Nietzsche, psychoanalysis, and mysticism, indicating that these influences contribute to the Buddhist tone of the text.
This study reaffirms that while Barthes’s A Lover’s Discourse outwardly depicts the discourse of lovers, it ultimately presents a discourse of love that opens the path for individuals to transcend the closed structure of romantic relationships and be reborn as subjects of their own love and life.