Marguerite Duras stands as a pivotal figure in 20th-century literature, celebrated for her innovative narrative techniques and her exploration of themes including love, solitude, memory, and human consciousness. Her work frequently challenges conventional narrative forms, blending personal experiences with universal questions. Often associated with the New Novelists, Duras's style and thematic concerns extend to her work in cinema, most notably in the screenplay for Hiroshima, mon amour, a project that brought her international acclaim. Her collaboration with filmmaker Alain Resnais is analyzed by Marguerite Duras with Alice Jardine, who discusses Duras's critique of the varied reception of her work in different cultural contexts and her advocacy for women's writing amidst pervasive misogyny.

Duras's novels such as The Lover and Moderato Cantabile reveal her adeptness at synthesizing personal and political themes. The former, based on her adolescence in Indochina, sparked controversy for its candid depiction of a young girl's affair with an older man, yet it remains a significant exploration of sexual awakening and complex familial dynamics, as explored by Dan Gunn. Critics frequently regard Moderato Cantabile as a cornerstone of her oeuvre, examining language and its limitations through ritualized dialogues between characters, detailed by Evelyn H. Zepp. This novel exemplifies her transition towards the French nouveau roman style, where existential themes and human passion are intertwined with the narrative structure, as discussed in The Anti-Novels.

Duras's exploration of love, solitude, and despair is underscored in her autobiographical fiction, which offers a study in the language and structure of personal experience. Raylene Ramsay emphasizes the reliability of memory and the emotional intensity that pervades her work. While some critiques, like Gabriel Josipovici's review of Practicalities, argue that some of her works lack the substance found in her fiction, her impact on literature remains profound. Her unique techniques, shifting from conventional narratives to avant-garde approaches, solidify her status as a transformative literary figure.

Duras's dramatic works, including "Les Viaducs de la Seine-et-Oise," engage with psychological tension and portray human dignity amidst struggle, diverging from the total despair seen in some of her contemporaries. Her storytelling often merges personal and criminal investigations, as noted by Erica M. Eisinger, and is further explored in works like Dix heures et demie du soir en été, analyzed by Francis S. Heck. The paradoxical allure of her work is a frequent subject of analysis, with Roger Greenspun and John Simon offering differing critiques on works like Destroy, She Said.

Duras's film work, particularly in India Song and The Truck, showcases her minimalistic style and philosophical provocations, as noted by critics such as Michael Tarantino and Pauline Kael. Her films, much like her literary works, continue to provoke intense discussion and scholarly attention, underscoring her profound impact on both literature and cinema.