Literature of the Fantastic : The Example of Leo Perutz ; Variations fantastiques. L'exemple de Leo Perutz

Abstract

Leo Perutz (1882-1957) is regarded as a master in fantastic literature, a fact which has sometimes aroused reservations. This study sets the theoretical problem again and analyses Perutz's work on the basis of a revised definition of the genre. As the corpus has not been fully recognized yet – a problem which is common in German fantastic literature – the 1st chapter studies how these texts have been evaluated and offers a reasoned appraisal of them. The 2nd chapter explores the problems linked to the notion of fantastic literature, highlighting how different the German critical approach to this genre is compared to the French one. The genre is then defined in a pragmatic way, as a contradictory organization of the various elements in the narrative – a blend of mimetic writing and marvellous literature – which disrupts the epistemological and aesthetic cohesion of the references to reality, in ways specific to each author. This definition is then applied to LP's work. The various elements that contribute to recreate reality (the attention to details, textual realism, a close observation of social realities) are examined in chapter 3. Chapter 4 deals with space and time and with the difficulties one can have in interpreting the ambivalent historical references. The 5th chapter is about the partly imaginary reconstruction of history which, paradoxically enough, underlines some of its fundamental issues: the question of the Revolution, the German Empire seen as a chimerical territory. Chapter 6 deals with the stylistic and thematic borrowings from the marvellous, which result in a blend of mocked esotericism and Judeo-Christian supernatural. Chapter 7 explores the paradoxical architectures that such a twofold aesthetic allegiance generates. At the very heart of aporetic constructions uniting fatality with a kind of sad awareness, one can recognize characters fantasizing themselves as heroes: such fantasies, when manipulated by a Führer will lead to political delusion. ; L'autrichien Leo Perutz (1882-1957) a souvent ...