Analepse et valse fantastique dans Les Willis d’Alphonse Karr
Analepsis and Fantastic Waltz in The Willis by Alphonse Karr

Summary/Abstract: This article proposes a stylistic interpretation of a fantastic short story entitled Les Willis by Alphonse Karr which dates from 1856. Our interpretation will focus on the interest of the use of analepsis as a narrative and linguistic tool inherent in the inscription of the mystery in the story of the hero Henry, who deceived his fiancée, the beautiful Anna Gulf, left her suddenly and married her cousin. Responsible for Anna’s death, Henry, who becomes rich, does not forget the waltz that brought them together for the first time. From then on, all the events are nourished by the analepsis which affects the very linearity of the narrative framework. The resonances of this waltz haunt Henry, who visits the forest after Anna’s death. He finds himself alone in front of a strange sight, listening to a mysterious song which is none other than his own. Drawn in spite of himself into a ghostly waltz, Henry finds himself subdued and shocked by the terrible appearance of the dead Anna. All these events are based on the backtracking which has a shaking effect on the one hand, the rhythm of the story reinforcing the effect of the enigmatic waltz in the text. On the other hand, the presence of the intertextual quotation adheres to the impending retrospection through the transcription of Henry’s waltz song into a poem, which creates dynamism in the fantastical adventure.

• Details
• Contents