Le fantôme de l’épopée dans Eugénie Grandet
The aim of this article is to examine Eugénie Grandet through the lens of references to the epic: how is the epic intertext incorporated into the narrative which, as a “scene of provincial life”, seems at first sight to be its opposite? Whilst Eugénie comes across as a new Penelope reactivating an e...
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| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Langue: | Français |
| Publié: |
2024
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| Accès en ligne: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Résumé: | The aim of this article is to examine Eugénie Grandet through the lens of references to the epic: how is the epic intertext incorporated into the narrative which, as a “scene of provincial life”, seems at first sight to be its opposite? Whilst Eugénie comes across as a new Penelope reactivating an epic pattern through her struggle against her father, conveyed through warlike metaphors, her heroism proves to be in vain. This transformation of the epic hypotext allows Balzac to highlight the obsolescence of epic values under the Restoration. The epic thus emerges as a normative framework against which bourgeois society is assessed: the epic reference reveals both the selfishness of modern men, whose adventures and quests are geared to satisfying their own interests, and the distortion of marriage or the confusion affecting gender roles. Epic heroism and masculinity are now embodied by female or even popular characters, uncertain guardians of ethical values (devotion, fidelity, courage…) that are on the verge of extinction. |
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