Document Type
Research Paper
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
This article is a literary analysis of Rachel Cusk's Outline. In it, Koochou argues that all of the characters in the novel are grappling with the absurdist idea that life lacks any inherent meaning, that the universe is God-less and without empathy. Thus, the characters try, to varying degrees of success, to create their own sense of meaning in life. This philosophical questioning is especially exemplified by the ambivalent stance the characters take towards supposedly sacred structures in society, such as marriage and childrearing. In doing so, Cusk writes a novel that joins theories of feminism and absurdism, suggesting that because of the condition of the patriarchy, marriage and parenthood alone cannot bring fulfillment and are therefore inadequate structures with which to inscribe meaning to the world.
Recommended Citation
Koochou, Nadine, "On Marriage, Children, and Other Expectations: The Feminist Absurd in Rachel Cusk’s Outline" (2025). Helene Lafrance Library Undergraduate Research Award. 12.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/lib_ugrad_research/12
