Man and Woman in Literature: Being in the Mystery of Christ

Anotace: In this article, we are trying to interpret the artistic expression of the relation between man and woman in the prose of a Czech writer, Jaroslav Durych (1886–1962). We highlight how Durych’s literary work portrays the mutuality between man and woman and how it grasps the question of its sense. At the same time, while regarding literature as a symbolic expression of human way of being, we want to enter into dialog with this literary quest and formulate a theological answer to it. The theological starting point of our approach is the idea of Trinitarian anchoring of the dual unity of man and woman. The conclusion of our interpreta- tion is that Durych’s prose illustrates the journey of male and female mutuality as a journey of human transcendence and as a moment of a new determination of man in the mystery of unconditional love. In this way, Durych refers not only to the nuptial mystery of man and woman but also to its grounding in the mystery of Christ.