Abstract
The story of the eponymous character in Agnant's novel represents an intersection of personal and collective history. Her alleged madness, which follows an act of infanticide, ensues in great part from the imposition of the slavery system in Haiti centuries ago. Despite spatio-temporal discontinuities, Emma is strongly linked to the lives of her ancestors by the memory and transmission of the traumatic events of the past. The article examines the layers of memory transmitted from one generation to another and posits the need to include personal and literary testimonies in the history of the Antilles. The analysis of the historical (rewriting) and clinical (healing) functions of trauma testimonies focuses on the role of Flore—the empathic listener. Her presence, indispensable in the process of the reconstruction and inscription of memories, acquires a crucial ethical dimension that allows Emma to become subject rather than object of history.
Published Version
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