CORPS MUTILÉS, RÉCITS FRAGMENTÉS: LOMBRE DE LA GUILLOTINE EN FRANCE AU XIXème SIÉCLE

Abstract

An image of the trauma that the French suffered on a societal level during the Terror can be formed by following the effects of its evolution on French literature—a form of collective memory—during the event itself and for the following century: specifically, from 1789-1889. As a theoretical basis, the authenticity of both << history >> and << collective memory >> is defined and contested when necessary, with the goal of validating collective memory as at least equal to, and sometimes more important than, history as a means to preserve cultural memory and social identity. Theoretical arguments centered around this theme are compared and contrasted by means of a wide spectrum of academic domains, including history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and folklore. An analysis of specific texts of French literature from as early as the end of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, including Fantastic tales, folktales, poetry and songs, reveal an echo of the immense trauma that the Reign of Terror inflicted on the French.