Belgitude as a philosophy of relation to oneself, to the other, to history and compared with the expression of sicilitude
[La belgitude comme philosophie d'un rapport a soi, a l'autre, a l'histoire ; et confrontee a une expression de la sicilitude]
Julien Delvaux
DOI: 10.18355/XL.2020.13.01.21
Abstract
The notion of literary « belgitude » is particularly used since 1980. It is largely inspired by a reflection on the major federal reforms, which give Belgium the air of a country which « exists and does not exist ». In Pierre Mertens'work, it designates a condition of wandering experienced by the French-speaking writer, which implies a new relationship with oneself, with history and with the other (in particular French). This article analyzes the novel Une paix royale (1995) as a particularly representative text, and carrier material for a course on the civilization of french speaking cultures. It ends by proposing a confrontation with the sicilitude of Sciascia, which also designates a specific existential condition.
Key words: belgitude, identity in non-place, element (Bachelard's philosophy), water intertextuality, relationships between fiction and history, counterfeiter, sicilitude
Pages: 275 - 291
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