«La Princesse des ténèbres» (1896) by Rachilde (1860-1953): Feminine Re-Writing of Faust
Abstract
The present article analyzes La Princesse des ténèbres (1896), one of the now forgotten novels by the French writer Rachilde. In the structure of her novel, the writer does a heterodiegetic rewriting of the legend of Faust, which adapts precepts from the fin de siècle Decadence. The text is composed from a game of hybrids: a mix of tradition and modernity, dream and reality, life and death. This constant ambivalence raises a persistent doubt in the reader, reinforcing the fantastic environment where the novel is set. Rachilde achieves an up-to-date legend of Faust, whose main innovation is the use of a female character in the role of Faust for the first time.
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