The Intimacy of Estrangement: Technology, Ennui, and the Fragmented Consumer in the Works of Jean-Philippe Toussaint

The present paper will study the relationship between man and technology in the contemporary, digitized, consumerist society in the literary works of the Belgian author Jean-Philippe Toussaint. Through an analysis of his selected novels – Television and Running Away – the paper will explore how everyday technologies and gadgets such as television, mobile phones become an extension of the self, how these objects occupy the minds of the consumers, and how they shape identity and impact social interaction. On one hand, the characters inhibit physical spaces cluttered with gadgets; on the other hand, their psychological space is marked by detachment, disorientation and ennui. The paper argues that the author’s portrayal of technological consumption uncovers an ambivalence – while modern technology offers connection and communication, it fosters isolation and alienation of an individual from the society, eventually leading to a larger question of existential lethargy. By situating Toussaint’s work within the broader context of postmodern literature and critical theory on consumerism, this paper deliberates upon the extent to which digital consumption has influenced and acted upon its consumers in the age of overconsumption and technological dependence.