Review article
A Tragic Identity Figure: Gaston Compère's Le Dernier Duc d'Occident
Laurence Boudart
; Archives et Musée de la Littérature Bruxelles
Abstract
While the discussions about the Belgitude concept reached their peak in French-speaking Belgium, the writer Gaston Compère considered the historical figure of Charles the Bold (1433–1477), essential for the Belgian collective imaginary, through the radio drama Le dernier duc d’Occident [The Last Duke of the West] (1977). The quest for identity criss-crosses the text, which features a character mistreated by French historiography, whose unifying political project will end in failure.
In this article, I study the mechanisms by which Gaston Compère makes Charles the Bold become a tragic character and gives him a theatrical voice. The chosen structure strengthens both erratic and strobe life of Charles the Bold, a life that is an integral part of its project of territorial unification, and emphasizes his tragic dimension.
Keywords
Belgian french-speaking litterature; theater; Charles The Bold; tragic; collective imaginary
Hrčak ID:
170354
URI
Publication date:
7.11.2016.
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