Boudjedra's dystopian writing in the light of postcolonial theory

Loubna Achheb

Université Mohamed Lamine Debaghine-Sétif 2 , Algeria
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5707-1489

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Rachid Boudjedra's dystopian writing and postcolonial theory exploited in his novel L’Escargot entêté ("Stubborn snail”). This particular work represents postcolonial Algerian literature and therefore stands as an emblem of hybrid aesthetics. The hybridity employed by the author - which is nothing but a utopian concept of postcolonial theory - ends up shattered in the text, thereby generating a dystopian work. To achieve this effect, the writer mixes realistic and fantastic genres, only to create a split between them, to perpetuate the image of dystopia. He uses misinformation to form cracks in the novel's intertextuality, imploding the hybridity of the writing from within. Finally, he tries to liberate Algerian literature, to separate it from French literature, creating a breach between "the periphery" and "the center".

Keywords:

Rachid Boudjedra, dystopia, postcolonial theory, fantastic, intertextuality, center/periphery