The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. It provides a thorough exploration of the book’s plot, characters and main themes, including illness, communication and loneliness. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 56-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Jean-Dominique Bauby
• Presentation of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Summary of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Character study
  • The author-narrator
  • Other characters
• Analysis of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  • The novel’s style and structure
  • A novel about imprisonment?
  • An extraordinary ability to create
  • A new outlook on life

About The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was first published in 1997. It is Bauby’s account of living in a completely paralyzed state, unable to do anything but blink. This is how the book was written: Bauby dictated his story to a ghostwriter with the help of a special alphabet designed by a speech therapist. By blinking once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no’, he managed to write an entire book.

About Jean-Dominique Bauby

Jean-Dominique Bauby was a French journalist who was born in Paris in 1952. He had a very successful career, eventually becoming editor-in-chief of the magazine Elle. However, in December 1995, he suffered a massive stroke and went into a deep coma. When he woke up, he discovered to his horror that he was entirely paralyzed. It did not take long for doctors to diagnose him with locked-in syndrome, a rare condition in which the victim is left unable to move but retains complete control of their mental faculties.

Bauby decided to share his experience with others, which is where The Diving Bell and the Butterfly came from. He died in 1997, just a few days after the book was published.