Le « mythe » de l’adolescence dans Le roman de l’adolescent myope de Mircea Eliade

Abstract

"The Myth of Adolescence in Mircea Eliade’s Diary of a Short-Sighted Adolescent. The article investigates the origins of this novel, which was published decades after its completion, thus identifying the elements that are specific to the genres of the self (autobiography, journal, Bildungsroman). It analyzes some key terms of Mircea Eliade’s world vision which can be pertinently applied to the Diary of a Short-Sighted Adolescent. The article demonstrates the way in which the young Eliade conceives his relation to the profane time of adolescence (the high school years), as well as to its profane spaces (such as the school, the attic, the library), and how he is able to move towards a sacred spatiality and temporality, both of which are spiritualized through his readings and imaginary. This return ab origo, aiming at a better understanding of the homo saber that Mircea Eliade has become, facilitates the sketching of a literary myth – i.e., that of adolescence. Keywords: Mircea Eliade, Diary of a Short-Sighted Adolescent, Bildungsroman, sacred and profane, the myth of adolescence "