Masters Degrees (Modern Foreign Languages)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Modern Foreign Languages) by Subject "Animism in literature"

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    La presence de l’invisible dans les espaces et les lieux comme revelateur de l’identite dans Felix et la source invisible d’Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) Saunders, Dawn Elizabeth; Leveel, Eric; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt has written eight philosophical tales that form part of The Invisible Cycle, where each one deals with a different form of spirituality. In each story, a person is confronted with traumatic moments and suddenly comes face to face with his own existence. This is a spiritual experience and, more specifically, in the philosophical tale Felix et la source invisible , animist spirituality. Animism leads us into an invisible world, where this form of spirituality is foreign and almost unknown to the Western world. To better understand the importance of spirituality in the different characters, Bertrand Westphal's theory of Geocriticism is used which demonstrates and analyzes the interaction of characters with spaces and places in literature. The four pillars of his work are: multifocus, polysensoriality, stratigraphy and referentiality. Similarly, Robert Tally's theories, namely the influence of spaces on the body, "other spaces", GPS as a metaphor for identity formation and transgression in spaces and places, are also explored. In addition, the concept of transgression - discussed in the book through two distinct countries, France and Senegal - allows us to examine how a person's heritage or roots form an identity in specific places and spaces, but also to see the result that occurs when we cut ourselves off from our roots. Each person's identity is created throughout his or her life and the roots are deeply anchored in the knowledge of who they are and where they come from. By exploring certain rituals or behaviors, often considered strange and sometimes totally invisible to a person who is not familiar with the world of Animism, we become acquainted with spirits, healers and totems that invite us into a poetic spiritual world. The invisible is found not only in the unsaid, in the behaviors and emotions of the characters, but also in the cultural duality of the two countries. It is necessary to pay special attention to these aspects to better understand what truth is, and never to judge someone according to their looks and appearances. Lastly, the study highlights the fact that in all forms of spirituality there is unconditional love and only when it is attained, can a person blossom and be at peace.