TY - JOUR TI - Exercises of Mediocrity: Saramago’s Manual of Painting and Calligraphy through the Prism of Transactional Analysis AU - Mistreanu, Diana TI - Exercises of Mediocrity: Saramago’s Manual of Painting and Calligraphy through the Prism of Transactional Analysis AB - Albeit symptomatic of both Saramago’s writing style and philosophical outlook on life, his Manuel de peinture et de calligraphie (1977), which is the private diary of a fictional painter whose gradual process of getting to know himself changes his life for the better, has not gained critical attention until recent years. Our paper discusses the psychology of the narrator and aims to unveil the mechanisms at work in his initial state of evolution, mechanisms that make him lead a frustrating intimate and professional life. The text is explored through the prism of Eric Berne’s transactional analysis theory, and it pinpoints the character’s states of the Ego, his place in Stephan Karpman’s drama triangle, as well as various elements of his life script. VL - 2017 IS - Numéro 11 Acédie / Honte, malaise, inquiétude, ressentiment PY - 2017 SN - 2300-4681 C1 - 2353-8953 SP - 211 EP - 229 DO - 10.4467/23538953CE.17.012.6906 UR - https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/cahiers-erta/article/exercices-de-mediocrite-le-manuel-de-peinture-et-de-calligraphie-1977-de-jose-saramago-a-travers-le-prisme-de-lanalyse-transactionnelle KW - Writing the Self KW - states of the Ego KW - script KW - drama triangle