Translocal Modernism: The Role of Private Spaces in Shaping Narrative Dynamics

Résumé

This article aims to demonstrate that modernism is closely linked to the way literature began to use private space as a narrative framework for character development. Whether we consider dissociations such as private space versus public space, or whether we refer to the characterization of social relations as seen in private space and outwardly, modern prose reveals real observations emphasizing the definition of this space. Literary modernism proposes a new way of observing the domestic interior while simultaneously constructing the female character, who evolves through her clear connection with this décor. A translocal modernism, in my opinion, refers to a literary approach that combines elements of traditional styles with innovative techniques and themes characteristic of European modernist literature. In the works of authors such as Gustave Flaubert and Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu, modernism may manifest as a fusion of conventional narrative structures with experimental storytelling methods, the exploration of complex psychological depths alongside social critiques, and the integration of multiple perspectives to depict a layered and nuanced understanding of human experience within evolving societal contexts. The present demonstration concerns a comparative approach between the private space imagined by Gustave Flaubert in Madame Bovary, and Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu’s Fecioarele despletite [Disheveled Maidens]. Although unequal in terms of notoriety, the chosen texts illustrate a real relationship between private space and the construction of modern fiction.