Réalisme magique ou fantastique ? - Stratégies narratives dans la réappropriation des traumatismes historiques

Abstract

This essay starts with a theoretical discussion about the differences and similarities between Magical Realism and the Fantastic, especially concerning the possibility to apply the two concepts to the writing about the past, in particular a past marked by trauma. On the basis of this thoretical introduction, I analyze two theoretical works written by two francophone authors who have both won the prestigious Goncourt prize: Biblique des derniers gestes by Patrick Chamoiseau (2002) and Trois femmes puissantes by Marie NDiaye (2009). The two works appear as original ways to appropiate a traumatic, deeply hidden past, using a style which can be seen as close to magical realism or to the fantastic.