The Soul of Postmodern Man

The middle-aged professor and protagonist of "Submission" (FSG, 2015) is benumbed by post-modernity's nihilism. Being a specialist in the work of the nineteenth-century French Decadent author, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Francois uses the trajectory of Huysmans' life to anchor the narrative of his own tale. Michel Houellebecq's novel is a story of moral corruption; a dystopia of moribund Europe and the soul of postmodern man.

"Submission" is a social-political satire. This is true of all Houellebecq's fiction. The story revolves around Francois' miserable and unhappy existence in France, in the year 2022. Having exhausted its moral and spiritual health in social experimentation, French society finds itself in disarray; its most cherished institutions and government crumble.

At first, Francois is apprehensive about the prospect of a coalition of Socialists and the Islamic party coming to power. Eventually he warms up to this latest post-modern aberration. When Islamic law becomes the law of the land, women are ordered to wear a veil. Polygamy is encouraged. François finds this beneficial, given his ineptitude with women. The new Islamic government offers him academic advancement at Paris III (Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle), where he teaches Nineteenth-Century Literature. This excites the otherwise morose professor. The catch is that he must convert to Islam. Because Francois is not a man of conviction, he is swayed by the lucrative terms of his new contract. This explains the title of the novel. Houellebecq's prescience of the moral calisthenics practiced by many academics in a post-modern age is formidable. "Intellectual agility," the narrator calls this.

The most interesting aspect of Houellebecq's novels are the themes that fuel them.

A rule of thumb for prospective readers of Houellebecq's novels is to understand British writer Kingsley Amis's literary dictum that writers of fiction write in order to entertain themselves. Undoubtedly, Houellebecq has a great time crafting his novels; he relishes shunning the ire of political correctness censors.

In the process of describing Francois' profligate life and the narrator's poignant social commentary, no-nonsense Houellebecq dissects the effect of nihilism on virtue and happiness like few writers today. Houellebecq's style is conversational and to the point; he is a man of few words. This, too, is a response to post-modern affectation and social-political bunk.

Francois believes that literature is the greatest art form of Western civilization. However, he laments that Western civilization and literature are both on life support. Literature, the professor tells us, enables man to come in contact with human beings from the past. Authors are present in their work. Houellebecq takes a well articulated stab at the modish denizens of deconstructionism, for whom authorship is an abstraction. Francois is adamant: "Only literature can grant you access to a spirit from beyond the grave - a more direct, more complete, deeper access than you'd have in conversation with a friend." For Houellebecq, post-modern man resembles "a bird in an oil slick."

Francois is a child of post-modernity. Lonely and joyless, he meanders through life. In the absence of love and affection, he kills time with vacuous sexual exploits. Meaning and purpose evade him. Unlike the time-worn misery of nihilists, though, Francois is aware that his dreadful, dead-end life mocks the possibility of authentic existence. Houellebecq's downcast professor riles against ambition and moral resolve. The more he embraces fashionable nihilism, the more pathetic his life becomes. Cynicism castrates the possibility of bonhomie. But Francois is ahead of other debauchers, for he is aware of the game. He says, "It's hard to understand other people, to know what's hidden in their hearts, and without the assistance of alcohol it might never be done at all."

Francois finds solace in Huysmans, especially as the Decadent writer embraced Christianity as a convert, later in life. Throughout the novel Francois juxtaposes medieval Christendom with post-modern Europe, which "had reached a point of such putrid decomposition that it could no longer save itself, any more than fifth-century Rome could have done."

Houellebecq cites Huysmans frequently. Francois finds solace in the latter's books "Là-bas", "A rebours", "En route", "La cathédrale", and Huysmans' Christian novel "Les foules de Lourdes". Francois even begins to visit Ligugé Abbey, a Benedictine monastery that Huysmans visited frequently, eventually becoming an oblate. As he travels to and from Ligugé, he reflects on God, transcendence and conversion to Catholicism. But this proves to be a momentary flirtation.

Instead, Francois' intellectual agility turns his attention to the upcoming semester at the university, under the rule of the Islamic party. The lure of physical gratification lures him. He contemplates the enticing possibilities that polygamy has to offer. He thinks of this as the beginning of a new and exciting life.