Abstract: Marguerite Duras hints, in this novel’s very title, at the currents of passion and psychological drive within it. Yet the “quiet life” of the title is not entirely oxymoronic, since this somewhat Nietzschean tale contains two types of character living side by side—those who are tranquille, at peace with themselves, and their intranquille counterparts, who are not. The latter align with a reading of Nietzschean thought, in terms of the philosophy of the future and the call to adventure. They furthermore represent a submission to the world created by the former.
