Désancrages Géographiques et Littéraires dans l’Archipel Caribéen

Abstract

The geographical archipelity and the literary one appears to be the result of a malleable geography and/or a boundless creativity. The designated space and the works are in perpetual construction. In this study, both the geographical and literary archipelagos are conceptualized as a way to identify and bring together small portions of history and memories. The slave trade is a truly “unspeakable language” which does not provide any narrative. Against the backdrop of an absence of epic tales and myths, the texts that are considered for study have been highlighted. They are seeking to reproduce the fragmented and incomplete nature of life, thereby emphasizing the importance of nothingness, absence, the unspeakable and the ineffable. The initial “non-world” evolves into an emerging new narrative space. Hence a geographical dematerialization within the narrative. The archipelago itself reproduces the unspeakable and invisible memories that are related to forgotten stories. Thus, the novels are not only describing geographical and historical nothingness, they are also transforming it into an asset for literature and poetry. What was once considered a fundamental flaw has become an asset for literary and creative thought.