Penser l’ailleurs après la « troisième mutation métaphysique » Satisfaction et ascèse dans la prose de Michel Houellebecq

This article aims to give an overview of the spaces in Houellebecq’s fictional world which seem to be “elsewhere” since they allow for experiences precluded from ordinary reality. We will distinguish between spaces of satisfaction and spaces of asceticism, both of which seek to provide shelter from the suffering caused by desire. Borrowing a term from philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, we will refer to these compensatory spaces as “endospheres”.