Quignard: on metamorphoses and the enigmatic language

Abstract

The present article brings the tale of the French writer Quignard, The Enigma (2018), a contemporary narrative, which recovers the tragedy of Oedipus King, as well as the themes of destiny, fatality and desire. It is a qualitative research, having as theoretical scope for the interpretative reading of the short story, the analytical psychology, formulated by Jung (1991a and 1991b); the study of mythologies, by Durand (2001), Estés (2014) and Migdgley (2014); The symbolisms of the encyclopedia Man, Myth and Magic (1974a and 1974b) and contemporary literary theory include the authors: Foucault (2007), Lima (1996) and Ricoeur (1994). In the tale, after the narrative, there is a section called “comments” which will be explored also throughout the article. The story presents a boy who, when expelled from home by his mother, seeks the reunion with the lost word, enabling the enigma and enchantment of the riddle, triggering the realization of his own destiny. The experience of language and the deciphering of the world comes before the symbolism of metamorphoses experienced by the boy throughout the plot, so that he can accept himself and go through a process of initiation. Language as a puzzle to be solved goes through a series of inscriptions of the little hero.