<I>LA VOLEUSE D´ENFANTS</I> D´ERCKMANN-CHSTRIAN: <I>MONSTRE</I> NARRATIF OU CONTE CRUEL?

Authors

  • Noèlle Benhamou
Keywords: narración, relato breve, género, fantástico, suceso, parábola, realismo

Abstract

La Voleuse d’enfants, part of the collection in the Contes des Bords du Rhin, is a very curious novella. It is distinguishable from the other short stories written by Erckmann-Chatrian by the cruelty of its subject matter and by its narrative treatment. Hard to narrow down to a single genre, it borrows its procedures and registers from other aesthetic categories. In effect, this narrative monster is, at one and the same time, part fantastic tale, part crime novel, part realistic news reporting verging on journalism and part apology. Erckmann-Chatrian blurs the borders of the genre by using strands of dramas and serials. This thriller that conjures up horrible crimes –the kidnapping, murder and later turning of children into butcher’s meat, and the resulting cannibalism- can be read as an allegory. It contains an evangelical message and a republican moral designed to edify the reader. This folk tale, whose genre is elusive, tries to shock its readers in order to edify them all the more. This monster Nouvelle, in more than one sense, is therefore not designed solely for children and involves various levels at which it can be read.

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Author Biography

Noèlle Benhamou

I.U.T. de L’Oise. Centre Zola, ITEM-CNRS
How to Cite
Benhamou, N. (2006). <I>LA VOLEUSE D´ENFANTS</I> D´ERCKMANN-CHSTRIAN: <I>MONSTRE</I> NARRATIF OU CONTE CRUEL?. Anales de Filología Francesa, 14, 37–52. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/analesff/article/view/20881