THE CONSUMER SOCIETY IN JOSÉ SARAMAGO’S THE CAVE: THE APPLICATION OF THE CATHARTIC FUNCTION OF THE LITERARY WORK

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to reflect on the cathartic function of literary works as a crucial element in the hermeneutic process. It is based on the contributions of Gadamer and Ricoeur concerning the setting up of the world of the text in relation to the world of the reader within the context of literature. The paper argues that when we understand a work of art, we understand ourselves in a better way and different horizons of understanding are established due to the applicability of the literary object. In fact, the interpretative process of a literary work occurs when an understanding of the world of the text is enabled by the world of the reader, that is, when the interpreter is able to establish a link between the experiences described in the literary work and her own experiences. That is precisely why it is so important to understand the human being in relation to its own time, because it makes possible to develop interpretative processes which enable the cathartic function of the literary work by means of the capacity of judgement of the interpreter.