Sous le masque du masculin ? Approche poétique du roman Mémoires d’Hadrien de Marguerite Yourcenar

Abstract

Marguerite Yourcenar could have said “Hadrian, it’s me” like Flaubert whose conception of impersonal narrator she shares, but she didn’t say it! She leaves behind her Me and all the emotions, feelings, life experiences which Me represents by replacing it with and auctorial and imperial I of Hadrian. She borrows Hadrian’s voice to convey her thoughts on human condition, liberty, authenticity, and truth. Her author traits meet the emperor’s traits which manifest themselves wonderfully in this novel by their capacity to access the essential, to immerse in the historical context to unveil in an a-historical way Hadrian’s eminent, august, and human personality.

Keywords

• marguerite yourcenar
• mémoires d’hadrien
• masculine/feminine
• me/i
• human condition
• authenticity
• masculine writing