Existential wandering, body memory, and primordial language in Malika Mokeddem’s N’zid
Abstract
This article explores a phenomenological outlook in the work of Algerian writer Malika Mokeddem. Such an approach departs from the standard scholarship on this author and proposes a wide-ranging alternative to postcolonial studies. The themes of nomadism, language of origin and corporeal expression are investigated through the lens of Merleau-Ponty’s “chair” and the pairing notions of “parole parlante” and “parole parlée.” A strong case study can be made with her novel N’zid (2001), which exploits the amnesia of the female protagonist sailing alone on the Mediterranean Sea, castaway from human interactions and without clues of her whereabouts. Inside and outside worlds meet up as she embarks on a silent journey to her innermost self and physical fantasies. Through uninhibited drawings and by reminiscing sensual flashbacks, she soothes her impaired memory and seizes back her blurred identity.
Keywords:
Malika Mokeddem, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, amnesia, identity, primordial idiomReferences
Akin, B. (2015). Mots pour maux : les hommes, la médecine et l’écriture dans Mes Hommes de Malika Mokeddem. Dans M. de Jesus Cabral, , M. J. Reynaud, M. de Fátima Outeirinho et J. D. de Almeida (dir.), Les Mots en maux. Traitements littéraires de la maladie (p. 8-23). Porto : Universidade de Porto. https://ler.letras.up.pt/uploads/ficheiros/13161.pdf
Csordas, T. J. (2012). Psychoanalysis and Phenomenology. Ethos, 40(1), 54-74. https://wwwjstor-org.proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/stable/i40063772 (Crossref)
Darwiche-Jabbour, Z. (2003). Femme, dessin et desseins de l’écriture dans N’zid de Malika Moqeddem. Dans C. Bousta (dir.), Aux frontières des deux genres. En hommage à Andrée Chedid (p. 271-287). Paris : Karthala.
Frie, R. (1999). Language, Communication and Therapeutic Interaction. The Humanistic Psychologist, 27(1), 89-113. https://web p-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/ehost/pdfviewer (Crossref)
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1978). Phénoménologie de la perception. Paris : Gallimard.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1992). La Prose du monde. Paris : Gallimard.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2000). Parcours deux, 1951-1961. Lagrasse : Verdier.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2006). L’Œil et l’Esprit. Paris : Gallimard.
Mokeddem, M. (1990). Les Hommes qui marchent. Paris : Ramsay.
Mokeddem, M. (1993). L’Interdite. Paris : Grasset.
Mokeddem, M. (1998). La Nuit de la lézarde. Paris : Grasset.
Mokeddem, M. (2001). N’zid. Paris : Seuil.
Morise, M. (1924). Les Yeux enchantés. La Révolution surréaliste, 1, 26-27.
Redouane, R. (2002). N’zid de Malika Mokeddem ou la (re)-naissance d’un être féminin. International Journal of Francophone Studies, 5(1), 13-21. (Crossref)
Stora, J. B. (1999). Quand le corps prend la relève : stress, traumatismes et maladies somatiques. Paris : Odile Jacob.
Valéry, P. (1957). Œuvres, I. Jean Hytier (dir.). Paris : Gallimard.
Valéry, P. (1960). Œuvres, II. Jean Hytier (dir.). Paris : Gallimard.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Papers of the journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
