Myths, rites and allegories for a symbolic poetics in "If the Devil wants" Mohammed Dib
Abstract
In Si Diable veut, Dib moves away from the precepts of realism to register his story in a more esoteric universe of myths and rites. By mobilizing a poetic language dominated by metaphor and allegory, Dib manages to say implicitly the inexpressible and to reveal the hidden side of beings and things. Transformed myths, diverted rites and enigmatic characters require a symbolic reading of Dib’s work which is the object of this article. Besides the reflection on the return to the country—easily elucidated from this novel—another interpretation is possible by deciphering the signs and studying the deep meaning of the text: that of the Algerian tragedy
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