L'Histoire avec sa grande hache. Trois façons de l'affronter par l'écriture: Lessico famigliare (Natalia Ginzburg), W ou le souvenir d'enfance (Georges Perec) et Kindheitsmuster (Christa Wolf)

Abstract

Three European authors confront the still traumatic impact of nazi and fascist destruction by creating new forms of narration: Natalia Ginzburg's ‘Lessico Famigliare’ (1963) recalls her family's reassuring phrases and stories that helped constructing identity against the destructive “fury” of fascism. Georges Perec's ‘W ou le souvenir d'enfance’ (1974) alternates autobiographical notes with episodes of a fantasized adventure tale that turns into an allegorical description of a concentration camp. Christa Wolf's ‘Kindheitsmuster’ (1976) experiments with ways of using personal pronouns in order to avoid the impossible I and to come to terms with the feeling of guilt, shame, and split identity. A comparison of the specific narrative technics shows that all three works “re-configure” time in Paul Ricoeur's sense by creating meaning and thus confronting the destructive force of history.