In search of an image: alchemy and literary criticism. The “obstacle of substance” in On Racine, by Roland Barthes.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-1124.v0ispep74-79Keywords:
Tragedy, literary criticism, alchemy, chemistry, substance.Abstract
In On Racine, by Roland Barthes, the image of alchemy is associated with the traditional scholar criticism, accused of thinking the problemsof creation in a “magical” fashion. Using the works of Gaston Bachelard, he speaks of a “substantial” way of thinking, typical to the bourgeoisie, which looks for the truth as if it could be found inside the objects and persons. However, when he triesa structural analysisof the author’s tragedies, he ends up finding this substantial way of thinking in Racine’s plays. He talks of a chemistry in Britannicus, which is no different from the alchemy described earlier. The themes of alchemy and chemistry are clues that may help us understand the ambiguous position that Barthes assumes in order to understand the classical tragedy.Downloads
References
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