L'autre, l'ailleurs et l'autrefois : aspects fantastiques de la litterature narrative medievale (xiie - xiiie siecles)
Institution:
Paris 3Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
When applied to french medieval narrative literature of the 12th and 13th centuries, the fantastic, as a concept, designates a semantic category rather than a literary genre. In medieval narrative, fantastic episodes are underpropped by resurgent figments of an archaic imaginary (a mythical pre-christian age, l'autrefois) as well as by the traditions of wonders from abroad (l'ailleurs) - whether from brittany or the east - and by the super imposition of historical, moral, and metaphysical patterns of evil on the fantasized image of the alien (l'autre), i. E. The monster or devi- lish creature. Fantastic phenomena occur at the intersection between two modes of thought - symbolical thought on the vertical axis and discursive thought on the horizontal axis - as these coexist and conflict at the time. An examination of the topography of the fantastic (including the forest, the island, the castle, the churchyard) and of its actors (including monstrous animals, semi-humans, giants and agents of the devil) reveals two great categories : the fantastic whic involves facts (the blee- ding spear, diabolic shows, "deablies"), and the fantastic which involves beings (the fatherless child : merlin). The study of the links subsisting between the fantastic and the allegorical narrative reveals to what considerable extent the potential of images outweighs christian
Abstract FR:
Applique a la litterature narrative du moyen age francais (xiie-xiiie siecles), le concept de "fantastique" est considere comme une categorie semantique, et non comme une designation de genre litteraire. Les moments fantastiques de la narration medievale sont sous-tendus par la resurgence de formations imaginaires archaiques (l'autrefois prechretien); par la tradition des merveilles de l'ailleurs, breton ou oriental; par la projection des formes historiques, morales et metaphysiques du mal sur l'image fantasmee de l'autre (le monstre, la creature demoniaque). Les phenomenes fantastiques sont saisis au croisement des deux modes de pensee pensee symbolique (verticale) et pensee discursive (horizontale) - qui entrent en concurrence a l'epoque consideree. A travers l'etude de l'espace fantastique (foret, ile, chateaux, cimetieres) et des acteurs fantastiques (animaux monstrueux, hommes-betes, geants,mediateurs diaboliques), on met en evidnce deux grandes categories de fantastique : le fantastique du phenomene (la lance qui saigne); le fantastique de l'etre (merlin, l'enfant sans pere). L'etude des rapports entre fantastique et "senefiance" montre enfin comment le materiel imaginaire submerge les visees du didactisme chretien.