Volume 12 - Issue 63
/ March 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.63.03.2
How to Cite:
Cherkashyna, T., Bieliavska, M., Satanovska, H., Pesotska, D., & Kushchenk, Z. (2023). Originality of chronotope palette of
Amelie Nothomb works. Amazonia Investiga, 12(63), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.63.03.2
Originality of chronotope palette of Amelie Nothomb works
Своєрідність жанрового коду творів Амелі Нотомб (ukr)
Received: February 13, 2023 Accepted: April 1, 2023
Written by:
Tetiana Cherkashyna1
Web of Science Researcher ID: ADE-9105-2022
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6546-4565
Mariia Bieliavska2
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4551-3752
Web of Science Researcher ID: HTR-3104-2023
Hanna Satanovska3
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1299-2161
Web of Science Researcher ID: HWQ-4800-2023
Diana Pesotska4
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6544-3713
Web of Science Researcher ID: ABL-9655-2022
Zhanna Kushchenk5
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8439-1798
Web of Science Researcher ID: HTR-6080-2023
Abstract
The article is dedicated to studying the
chronotypical models and their impact upon
poetical features of novels by French-speaking
female writer Amelie Nothomb. Such novels by
Nothomb as “Hygiene and the Assassin”, “The
Stranger Next Door”, “Attempt”, “Fear and
Trembling”, “The Character of Rain” and
“Cosmetics of the Enemy”. Attention is paid to
inter-genre and enter-gender synthesis of
Nothomb novels which significantly influences
the specifics of building up the chronotypical
models of the novels being analyzed. Studying
peculiarity of genre form of A.Nothomb novels
revealed polygenre synthesis which is inherent
for them which is based upon diffusion of epic
and dramatic kinds of great and small epic
genres. Distinctive feature of novel works by this
female writer is determined by complex
stratification of chronotype layers, comprising
chronotype models of enclosed spaces, idyll
1
Doctor of Science, Full Professor of the Romance and German Philology Department of the School of Foreign Languages of
V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (Ukraine).
2
Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Romance and German Philology Department of the School of Foreign Languages of V. N. Karazin
Kharkiv National University (Ukraine)
3
Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Romance and German Philology Department of the School of Foreign Languages of V. N. Karazin
Kharkiv National University (Ukraine).
4
Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Romance and German Philology Department of the School of Foreign Languages of V. N. Karazin
Kharkiv National University (Ukraine).
5
Senior lecturer of the Cross-Cultural Communication and Foreign Languages Department National Technic University «Kharkiv
Polytechnic Institute» (Ukraine).
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chronotype, chronotype of raving, chronotype of
art, chronotype of childhood, chronotype of love.
Analysis of time-space models testifies about
inclination of the writer to realistic, recognizable
space with involvement of effective toponyms
from historic and social-cultural contexts as
different from time and space ambiguity which is
inherent for postmodern text. Enclosed spaces
are typical for Nothomb novels (building, house,
room). Time in the novels has distinctive features
of biographic, calendar, day time and historic
time. Events take place in logical time sequence,
creating linear process, ascending gradation of
events is frequent to enhance psychological
tension.
Keywords: Amelie Nothomb, chronotype,
chonotype model, genre code, time, space.
Introduction
Historic and literature process on the boundary of
ХХ–ХХІ centuries is in dynamic development. It
is manifested in works by writers on idea,
stylistic, plot, narration levels as well as on the
level of gender and genre form which ceases to
be a constant value more and more frequently but
gains properties of product of writer’s
inventiveness and creative idea where content is
the master of form, and esthetic value, in its turn,
is the master of content. Writing is no longer
perceived as inheriting canons and formulas, but
as means to search for truth, attempt of
interaction between author and reader, attempt to
recreate reality in its sensual aspect.
Works by Amelie Nothomb, full of grotesque,
ironic comparisons and deep psychologism,
honed in esthetic traditions of minimalism,
provoke explosive and contradictory discussion
both among scientists and among cultural figures
and readers. In the opinion of some people works
by this writer abound with manifestations of
extreme egoism and egocentrism as the leading
motive of the plot, as well as with cynicism and
miserabilism, and in the opinion of others, the
guarantee of her works’ success is their sincerity,
as if “nakedness” of plot twists that turns the
genre of the novel into a confession of certain
sort or repentance.
Creative work by Nothomb was object of study
for Laureline Amanieux (Amanieux, 2005),
Susan Bainbridge and Janette den Toonder
(Bainbrigge & Toonder, 2003), M. D. Lee (Lee,
2010), our previous studies (Bieliavska, 2018;
Cherkashyna, 2022a; Cherkashyna, 2022b).
Most available scientific investigations about
autobiographic creative work by Nothomb
mostly refer to studying the most famous
autobiographical novel by the writer ʻStupeur et
tremblementsʼ (Nothomb, 1999) and research of
issues Me/Other, ʻownʼ/ʻalienʼ, trace correlation
of eastern (Japanese) and western in life and
autobiographic creative work work of the writer
(Lou, 2011; Koma, 2009; Szczur, 2017).
However, genre distinctiveness of her works
provokes numerous literary discussions even
today and requires more thorough reading.
The task of our study is to observe and analyze
the functioning of chronotopic models, their
combinations in the works of the writer, and thus
track the formation of genre forms.
Theoretical Framework
In our study we reply on theory of genres
developed by Ukrainian researcher Nonna
Kopystianska (2005). Specifics of determining
genre code of Nothomb’s works also requires
appealing to the theory of chronotope. When
studying it we drawn on works by Mykhailo
Bakhtin (Bakhtin, 1975), Mircha Eliade (Eliade,
2001), Nonna Kopystianska (Kopystianska,
2012), Svitlana Kryvoruchko, etc. (Kryvoruchko
et al., 2022).
Bakhtin (1975) puts forward a point that in
literary text chronotope becomes factor that
determines movement of the plot, thus its genre-
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creative and content-creative function emerges.
In the opinion of the researcher, consideration of
artistic time and space must take place in the
context of physical chronotope, i.e., to have
certain reference system – therefore, various
types of chronotopes are formed (chronotope of
protagonist, chronotope of the plot, chronotope
of reader, etc.) within the boundaries of certain
literary work. In his studies of genre-creating
function of the chronotope Bakhtin turns to
antiquity, noting it was in that epoch that three
types were formed of “novel uniformity, … three
corresponding means of creative mastering of
space and time in the novel … three
chronotopes” (Bakhtin, 1975, p. 236). A
determinant of novel types of classification that
was suggested by the scientist is the
corresponding form of time: the first type of
novel is caused by availability of “adventurous
time”, the second – “adventurous-household
time”, the third – “biographic” or
“autobiographic” time. Based on theory about
interference of time and space layers in artistic
work, Bakhtin suggests different chronotype
kinds: “chronotype of threshold”, “chronotype of
castle”, “chronotype of city”, “chronotype of
way”, etc. In Bakhtin’s opinion, chronotypes
always remain in complex relations and cannot
exist separately – they intertwine, replace each
other, can be matched, or be opposed. Bakhtin
emphasizes genre-creative function of time:
“Chronotope in literature has significant genre
meaning … genre and kinds of genres are
determined by chronotype as such, whereas in
literature the leading feature in the chronotype is
time” (Bakhtin, 1975, p. 234).
Romanian researcher of mythology and
mythopoetic Eliade (2001) underlines
mythopoetic aspect of spatial images of home
and way, emphasizing that the way symbolizes
the “way of life”, and movement along it is
movement to the center of Creation. Apart from
considering spatial characteristics of
mythopoetic consciousness, Eliade also
considers its temporal properties – in his opinion,
Time, like Space, is also not uniform: there is
Sacred Time and Mundane Time. The main
feature of Sacred Time is its reversibility, it can
be reiterated without being subject to changes, it
also has no flow or duration. An example of
Sacred Time manifestation are festivities – it is
during festivities that a person is living through
certain beginning anew, through a period when
the Universe was born. “Festivities restore sacred
meaning of existence, each time they teach how
Gods or mythical predecessors created man and
taught man various socially significant deeds or
actions” (Eliade, 2001, p. 60). Unlike Sacred
Time, Mundane Time is not reversible, it has
duration and the beginning and the end which are
clearly set.
Kopystianska is the developer of genre theory
and theory of chronotope. In her studies she
builds up clear system of subdivision of works
into genres, genre types and genre modifications
(Kopystianska, 2005). Her typology of space-
time in literary work is productive and can be
made of several interrelated components, such
as: closed and open time-space (external and
internal), personal, family, public time-space,
and others (Kopystianska, 2012).
Important for our study is theory of time in
memoir work, represented by Kryvoruchko,
Ilona Kostikova, Olena Gulich and Iryna
Rudnieva (Kryvoruchko et al., 2022), as part of
Nothomb’s novels have distinctively explicit
memoir time.
Methodology
Our study is built up upon basics of hermeneutics
with elements of structural texts analysis and
psychoanalysis.
Results and Discussion
In Nothomb’s works distinct process of genus-
genre synthesis is traced. It is based on diffusion
of epic and dramatic kinds as well as fusion of
features of small epic genres of novel and tale
within the boundaries of novel form, enriching it
and giving it more artistic capabilities.
The first novel by the writer “Hygiene and the
Assassin” (Nothomb, 1992), written in 1992 after
Nothomb had returned from Japan. “Hygiene and
the Assassin” is a history of life and death of
mysterious and scandalous person who is writer-
assassin named Pretextat Tax. Novelity of this
work is determined by layering of several
chronotype layers. Relying on theory of
chronotope by Bakhtin (Bakhtin, 1975), two
time-spacial models are singled out in the novel.
They are given in sensual and emotional
opposition: it is life of writer after assassination
of his beloved one, his artistic work, illness, old
age and in the outcome of the plot it is his death
and the period of childhood and adolescence of
Takh full of love and happiness. Both models
embody realistic, recognizable time-space: we
find toponymical names of area where the main
hero was born and where he spent his childhood
– estate Saint Sulpice (France, commune La
Sauvta-sur-Led) (Nothomb, 1992, p. 129), year
when the hero was born – 1908. (Nothomb, 1992,
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p. 128), recollections of two World Wars
(Nothomb, 1992, p. 131), as well as events in the
Persian Gulf (January 1991) (Nothomb, 1992,
p. 35) and students revolution in France (1968)
(Nothomb, 1992, p. 112). By comparing year
when the main hero was born (1908) and his age
at the moment when actions in the novel take
place (83 years), we receive exact date of events
taking place in the novel – 14 – 18th January
1991.
The first chronotope model of life of Takh-
assasin is riddled with psychological pressure,
feeling of disgust and indulgence, whereas
another model is given properties of idyllic
chronotope. In their turn, both models are woven
from interaction of smaller chronotopes. Thus,
reporters, after having heard that death of the
great writer is very close, come to him one after
another to his dwelling. Takh accepts them in the
living room which makes horrible impression.
Dark living room is a manifestation of inner
loneliness of the character as well as a challenge
to society of some sort which strives to comfort
and perfection. Ugliness of dwelling and Takh
himself become as if contagious: ʻAprès avoir
commandé un triple porto flip, il trouva la force
de leur raconter sa mésaventure. A cause de la
peur, il exhalait une odeur épouvantable, qui
avait dû être celle de Jonas émergeant de son
séjour cétacé. <...> - Le ventre de la baleine ! Je
vous assure, tout y était ! L'obscurité, la laideur,
la peur, la claustrophobie...ʼ (Nothomb, 1992,
p. 27).
Time in the chronotope of the living room has
usual day properties, it flows monotonously and
routinely and the repeated nature of events
indicates it: ʻChaque jour, une infirmière très
courageuse passait vers 17 heures pour le
laver. <...> Son secrétaire, Ernest Gravelin,
vivait quatre étages plus haut mais évitait autant
que possible de le voir ; il lui téléphonait
régulièrement <...> : ne donnait-il pas, chaque
année, la moitié de ses revenus à un organisme
de charitéʼ (Nothomb, 1992, p. 10). Even Takh
himself states that he does not feel impact of
time: ʻDe mes vingt-trois ans à mes cinquante-
neuf ans, les jours se sont tellement ressemblés.
J'ai de ces trente-six années un long souvenir
homogène et quasi dénué de chronologie : je me
levais pour écrire, je me couchais quand j'avais
fini d'écrireʼ (Nothomb, 1992, p. 14).
Monotonous nature of the writer’s existence
transfers a range of feeling to the reader where
loneliness and disappointment in life and loss of
its meaning is the first fiddle.
At the same time in retrospective narrative of
childhood and adolescence of the writer an
idyllic chronotope can be traced where in the lap
of nature a boy and a girl, free from society and
any obligations, savour each minute of existence,
trying to stay in the “Eden” of childhood. Idyll of
love is pictured in the background of beauty and
magnificence of Saint-Sulpice estate. Despite the
fact that children never left its territory, staying
in the enclosed space, the childhood period of
Takh and his cousing is pictured in the
associative image of freedom that opposes
loneliness of further years spent by the writer:
ʻVous avez eu une enfance bien trop belle. Vous
aviez tout ce que l'on peut rêver, et plus encore :
un château, un vaste domaine avec des lacs et des
forêts, des chevaux, une formidable aisance
matérielle, une famille adoptive qui vous choyait,
un précepteur peu autoritaire et souvent malade,
des domestiques aimants, et surtout vous aviez
Léopoldineʼ (Nothomb, 1992, p. 131).
Time in children “Eden” slows down, every
instance gains emotional coloring which is
different from the one that fills Takh’s living
room for sixty-six years. Here everything around
is full of sensuality, madness from love,
perpetuity of feelings and infinity of unity with
nature. Slowing of time flow as attribute of happy
childhood is perceived as author’s narrative: ʻLes
années s'écoulent à peine. L'enfance est une
aventure si peu rapide. Qu'est-ce qu'un an pour
un adulte ? Pour un gosse, un an est un siècle, et
pour vous ces siècles étaient d'or et d'argentʼ
(Nothomb, 1992, p. 131). <...>Nous n'avions
plus changé d'un atome, nous nous étions
seulement et prodigieusement allongés, sans que
cette amusante étiration ait modifié notre
complexion informe, imberbe, inodore, infantileʼ
(Nothomb, 1992, p. 174).
Nothomb confers an interesting trait to the
character of her novel when he changes in his
self-perception and gains features of a young
man, returning to his childhood and adolescence
in his memories. Thus, in the climax of the novel
Takh lives through state of catharsis, where
layering of inner chronotypes of Takh-youngster
and Takh-elder are traced, the synthesis whereof
creates chronotope of raving.
On the level of motives in this work the
chronotype of art, in particular writing, is singled
out as well as the chronotype of love. They
permeate the entire plot of the novel. It is
complexity of the chronotype structure of this
work that preconditions its novel depth in its
perception by the reader. Time-space
characteristics of the work clearly and
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consistently reflect reality, and their
contradiction gives deep philosophical and
psychoanalytic meaning to childhood on level of
ideas, equating it with the meaning of human life.
Work “The Stranger Next Door” (Nothomb,
1995) was written in 1995 and awarded with
literature prize ʻLe Prix Paris-Premièreʼ, as well
as ʻPrix du jury Jean Gionoʼ. This is a story that
occurred with elderly married couple who had
just moved into a new house far away from city
fuss to fully enjoy quiet of the old age and time
together. However, tranquility of the couple is
disturbed by bizarre neighbors.
The novel chronotope of this work is also formed
by complex system of chronotope models. Time
in the novel is historically recognizable, it is
indicated by birth dates of the couple and their
age: 1929 – the year when the main character was
born (Nothomb, 1995, p. 71), his age at the
moment when the event takes place is sixty five
years (Nothomb, 1995, p. 11), thus the time of
event is January 1994, also there are recollections
about World War II in the text (Nothomb, 1995,
p. 71), at the end of which the character turned
fifteen. Toponymic features in this work is the
location of the new house of the couple – near
village Mauves (Mauves, small village in the
south-east of France) (Nothomb, 1995, p. 14).
The idea of opposition between protagonist and
antagonist is based upon antithesis of chronotype
of the two houses. The first model is the house of
Emile and Juliette – an idyllic house engulfed in
love, quiet, satisfaction from life. It is exactly the
house attributed with sacred meaning by the
characters: ʻIl y a des maisons qui donnent des
ordres. Elles sont plus impérieuses que le destin:
au premier regard, on est vaincu. On devra
habiter là... Nous avons vu cette maison et
aussitôt nous avons su que ce serait la maison.ʼ
(Nothomb, 1995, p. 11). It becomes embodiment
of childhood dreams, thus it is certainly related to
the chronotope of happy childhood. Idyllic nature
of the house chronotope is enhanced by its
location – only nature is around it, forest, river
and wisteria completely encircling the house. It
is also a symbol of freedom, opposite to city fuss,
a place where time slow down and gains
sensuality: ʻJ’attendais la retraite comme le
mystique attend la mort. Ma comparaison n’est
pas gratuite. ... nous voulions quitter cette perte
de temps qu’est le monde. Citadins depuis notre
naissance, nous désirions vivre à la campagne,
moins par amour de la nature que par besoin de
solitude. Un besoin forcené qui s’apparente à la
faim, à la soif et au dégôutʼ (Nothomb, 1995,
p. 11). Time here combines features of calendar
and day time, but, in particular, also biographic
time as it is projected upon happy childhood
which seems to continue in this house. It slows
down in perception due to detailing of extraneous
elements, such as cracking of fire in the fireplace,
hypnotic breathing of Juliette in her sleep, etc.
The chronotope of house seems to continue
infinite childhood, thus opening its emotional-
sensual filling. It is here that the image of love is
created, love that exists beyond time boudnaries,
beyond mundane world as the highest value that
unite Emile and Juliette: ʻLe jour de la rentrée,
nous nous sommes vus et nous nous sommes
aimés. Nous ne nous sommes jamais quittés.
Juliette a toujours été ma femme ; elle a quasi
toujours été ma soeur et ma fille...ʼ (Nothomb,
1995, p. 11). Effect of “eternal” childhood is
enhanced by time shifts of the image of six-year
old Juliette into the time when events of novel
take place: ʻSaisissement : elle n’avait pas
changé d’un pouce, non pas depuis notre
mariage, mais depuis notre première rencontre.
Elle avait peu grandi ‒très peu ‒, ses cheveux
avaient blanchi, tout le reste, c’est à dire tout,était
pareil à un point hallucinant. ... je n’avais d’yeux
que pour la fillette de six ans avec laquelle je
vivais depuis près de soixante ans. ... Le temps
n’existe pas. Je n’avais jamais été aussi heureux
de ma vieʼ (Nothomb, 1995, p. 14).
Idyllic chronotope is opposed by infernal one
which reigns in the consciousness of antagonist,
bizarre neighbor as well as everywhere around
him. And if the house of Emile and Juliette is a
celebration of life, delight from its every second,
love and cleanliness, the house of Palamed is like
a waiting hall for death, denial of any
manifestations of life. If the chronotope in
Emile’s house is emotionally colored in the
atmosphere of happiness that lasts for entire life,
which is its culmination, then we find mentioning
about Palamed’s existence as about unbearable,
monotonous, lonely and without any sense at all:
ʻJ’entrai : le halo de ma lampe éclaira une
cuisine. Une odeur fétide me remplit les
poumons : je n’osai imaginer ce que les
Bernardin avaient mangé. <...> Comment des
êtres humains pouvaient-ils vivre là-dedans ?ʼ
(Nothomb, 1995, p. 113-114). Intolerance of
existence and thirst for swift death is
symbolically representaed by huge number of
clocks everywhere around the house that tick
exactly second-wise precisely one after another
(Nothomb, 1995, p. 115).
Neighbor’s abuses also have their chronotypical
peculiarities: for his tortures he selects time from
16.00 till 18.00, crosses the threshold of the
happy house at any cost and drive its owners
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crazy by his silence. At first the the owners who
do not understand it are happy that two hours of
moral violence against twenty two hours of
happiness is just a trifle, but soon the atmosphere
of intolerance from the presence of unwanted
guest occupy entire time of heroes, giving them
no chance to think about something else. For half
a year visit of the neighbor literally drive Emile
crazy, creating the chronotope of boundary
condition, deep despair, raving and loss of
control over himself. Awareness of his own
identity by the hero becomes threatened: ʻPour la
première fois de ma vie, je regrettais ma bonne
éducationʼ (Nothomb, 1995, p. 25), ʻLe
lendemain matin, je me réveillai nerveux. Je
n’osai pas m’en avouer le motifʼ (Nothomb,
1995, p. 28), ʻCela commençait à ressembler à un
cauchemarʼ (Nothomb, 1995, p. 29)», ʻCe type
me met hors de moiʼ (Nothomb, 1995, p. 33). In
the course of the text one can trace escalation of
uncontrolled state. If at the beginning of the work
he understands his place in life, life principles
and values, then at the climax of the work we can
see “rebirth” of Emile as the person who is no
longer aware about the boundaries of his own
“Me” or its nature: ʻMa blancheur a fondu et
personne ne s’en est apperçu. Quand je me suis
installé dans la Maison, il y a douze mois, je
savais qui j’étais : un nobscur petit professeur de
grec et de latin , dont la vie ne laisserait aucune
trace, elle aussi. Mais je comprends, maintenant,
qu’elle est un mystère. Je ne sais plus rien de
moiʼ (Nothomb, 1995, p. 151).
Inner chronotype of the character who is in
permanent focus of reader’s attention, exposing
his inner struggle and experiences during a year,
makes novel basis for this work. Enhancing of
psychological-emotional tension in this
chronotype is created by calendar contemplation
of the hero over absurdity of his state and
immensity of emptiness in the life of Palamed.
Romanticism of literary work “Attempt”
(Nothomb, 1997) is stipulated by the buildup of
consistent chronotypical periods (memories of
the hero) onto the leading psychological, inner
chronotope. Realism of the pictured events is
stipulated by presence of time-space age
benchmarks (twenty nine years) in the text and
the year when the hero was born (1967)
(Nothomb, 1997, p. 43), duration of events
described – one year (Nothomb, 1997, p. 25),
thus, the time of events described – 1996–1997.
Narration is done in retrospective from the first
person of diegetic narrator. As the place from
which the character of the work is telling his tale
is an isolated cell in prison where he is kept for
murder, the time-space of narration is the chain
of his memories. In it we find chronotypical
models of childhood, where the wicked
syndrome of the hero personality has its roots,
love that lead him to “transformation” and
chronotope model of art as reflection of
sociocultural state of that time, chronotope of
ravings that “exposes” psychological crisis of the
hero in reader’s perception as well as epistolary
that has time-space and emotional features of its
own.
Chronotope of Epiphane’s childhood combines
his biographic time of hero that makes up period
from birth till sixteen years of age and mostly
psychological space of his consciousness inside
which the hero is trying to find reasons and
exaplanation of his fate. From the points of view
of emotions childhood is colored by
psychological trauma of the child from his own
appearance and the fact that due to its everyone
turn their back on him, even his own mother.
Chronotope models of love and art are taken by
the writer to the motive level of the work and
make up basis of the plot. Epistolary corresponds
to the culmination of the plot and actualizes
chronotope most of all, as it has precise time and
toponymic markers: “Dated 9.01.97 in the plane
(from France to Japan), <...> dated 10.01.97 in
the plane, <...> Tokyo-Kanazawa flight, the
same day…etc (Nothomb, 1997, p. 117-144).
States of raving which is a specific sign of the
writer’s creative work unveil psychological crisis
in the hero’s consciousness. Thus, we watch
romantic raving of Epiphane when he meets
charming Etele whom he considers to be fruit of
his own imagination: ʻJe lui parlais sans peur
parce qu'elle était la création de mon
évanouissement. <...> J'admirai mon oeuvre. Je
l'avais faite, j'avais donc tous les droitsʼ
(Nothomb, 1997, p. 16-17). Soon he realizes that
she is not his creation and does not belong to him,
so nothing magical had happened. In search for
answer what is love that mastered him so much,
Epiphane plunges into studies of theories of
sexuality and emotionality, encyclopaedia and
treatises but, without satisfying his interest, he
tries to find explanation for his own desires in his
childhood. Then, reading the book “Quo Vadis”,
he was deeply disappointed by the happy final of
this work. He stuck his head under the pillow,
closed his eyes and suddenly felt he was that ox
who cruelly murdered a Christian virgin of
amazing beauty: ʻLygie nue est accrochée à mon
dos. Je sens ses fesses virginales et ses reins
archangéliques. <...> J'enfonce mes cornes dans
ton ventre lisse : c'est une sensation fabuleuse.
<...> Entre-temps, j'ai onze ans, je retire l'oreiller
que j'avais écrasé sur mon crâne et je me lève,
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pantelant de délectation.ʼ (Nothomb, 1997,
p. 32-23).
Epiphane’s letters to Etele also demonstrate the
state of love raving which he recognizes himself:
ʻMon état mental, en cette seconde, pourrait être
qualifié de bizarre ; il me semble pourtant que,
pour la première fois de ma vie, je suis normalʼ
(Nothomb, 1997, p. 139). It is in the world of
ravings that Epiphane gains everything that
reality deprived him of, creating the effect of
parallel existence which is sensually and
emotionally colored.
Chronotope of novel “Fear and Trembling”
(Nothomb, 1999) has distinct realistic markers. It
is created by intersection of private-inner
chronotope of Amelie character which prevails in
the focus of attention and time-space models of
events in the plot. There is no geographic
designation in the text of place where
“Yumimoto” company is located. However, we
find the date when Amelie contract began at the
Japanese enterprise – eighth of January 1990
(Nothomb, 1999, p. 7) and the date of the
contract completion – seventh of January 1991
(Nothomb, 1999, p. 184). Between these two
dates there are numerous designations of
calendar and day time: ʻIt was hardly a month
after (Nothomb, 1999, p. 22) <...> that February
floweed into March (Nothomb, 1999, p. 31) etc.ʼ.
Multiplicity of time markers testify the fixation
of the heroine’s consciousness onto the flow of
time that opens her emotional coloring. Time-
space of the “contract” turns out to be unbearable
for Amelie in psychological and emotional
perception, culminations of this unbearability are
chronotope models of boundary states and
ravings. First of all, there is a huge window that
Amelie approached each time to “breathe in
freedom”, is a symbol of transition between two
worlds: idyllic, free and unbearable
imprisonement:ʻIl ne me restait plus qu'à coller
le front au verre et à me jeter par la fenêtre. Je
suis la seule personne au monde à qui est arrivé
ce miracle: ce qui m'a sauvé la vie, c'est la
défenestrationʼ (Nothomb, 1999, p. 150). The
culmination scene of the heroine raving state is
the scene in the company’s office after three
sleepless nights doing work: ʻJe marchai jusqu'à
la baie vitrée. La ville illuminée était très loin au-
dessous de moi. Je dominais le monde. J'étais
Dieu. Je défenestrai mon corps pour en être
quitteʼ (Nothomb, 1999, p. 76).
Spacial limitation in the work is localized on the
forty fourth floor of the building where the entire
career evolution of Amelie takes places from
bookkeeping department through the department
of dairy products sales to cleaner of men’s rooms.
Beyond the enclosed space of the company there
is free space that open to the heroine through the
window: ʻCes pages pourraient donner à croire
que je n'avais aucune vie en dehors de
Yumimoto. Ce n'est pas exact. J'avais, en dehors
de la compagnie, une existence qui était loin
d'être vide ou insignifianteʼ (Nothomb, 1999,
p. 148). Contract between two worlds, idyllic and
infernal, gains psychological coloring in
Amelie’s consciousness: ʻQuand j'étais à mon
poste, aux toilettes du quarante-quatrième étage
de Yumimoto, en train de récurer les vestiges des
immondices d'un cadre, il m'était impossible de
concevoir qu'en dehors de cet immeuble, à onze
stations de métro de là, il y avait un endroit où
des gens m'aimaient, me respectaient et ne
voyaient aucun rapport entre une brosse à
chiottes et moiʼ (Nothomb, 1999, p. 149). Apart
from opposition of two worlds the chronotope
model of the period after the expiration of
contract is singled out, the duration whereof is
two years. Here time changes from calendar and
daily to historic time with recollection of lar-
scale world events as well as biographic events
of the writer, and the space emerges as free and
undetermined. Recollection of the events of
pricate nature among events of worldwide scale
in the chronology testifies strong psycho-
emotional markedness of the character by the
bygone experience. At the level of genre
elevation of events of private nature to
worldwide level grants epicness to the work with
consideration that the main opposition was
between representatives of two different
civilizations. However, the relevance of events in
this work should be noted. As the main heroine
is pictured in the up-to-date socio-cultural
context, i.e. as a contemporary of the author and
reader, the chronotope of this work leans towards
novel type.
In the novel “The Character of Rain” (Nothomb,
2000) a writer’s attempt can be traced to recreate
versatility of world perception by a child. The
writer manages to picture the originality of child
worldview due to the chronotope strategy of the
“boundary”. The first time and space antithesis
on the boundary of which little Amelie becomes
self-aware is divine and mundane space. The plot
of novel tells about the birth of a baby by
involving the myth about world creation to the
narrative manner: ʻAu commencement il n'y
avait rien. Et ce rien n'était ni vide ni vague: il
n'appelait rien d'autre que lui-mêmeʼ (Nothomb,
2000, p. 5). The parallel between child and God
that she further associates herself with creates
desacralized mythical space devoid of specific
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salutary markers. Here it is measured by
“existence” of God: ʻDieu ne vivait pas, il
existaitʼ (Nothomb, 2000, p. 5), ʻLe tube n'avait
aucune conscience de la durée. Il atteignit l'âge
de deux ans comme il eût atteint celui de deux
jours ou de deux sièclesʼ (Nothomb, 2000, p. 16).
Mundane world which is opposed to it is the
world of common people who surround small girl
and whom she tries to understand has realistic
time and space properties among which we find
the place of the main events of the plot – Kansai,
region in the west of Japan (Nothomb, 2000,
p. 10), the time of pictured events – 1968-1970
(Nothomb, 2000, p. 10,156), actualizing
toponymic and historic markers – daily
earthquakes in Kansai (Nothomb, 2000, p. 10),
recollection of military actions in the territory of
Japan in 1945 (Nothomb, 2000, p. 50-51), events
in Vietnam in 1970 (Nothomb, 2000, p. 65),
calendar and daily time markers: “this morning”,
“April in Japan”, “the start of May was happy”
(Nothomb, 2000, p. 50, 66, 81), etc.
The second antithesis of time and space models
on the boundaries of which Amelie becomes self-
aware, is the world of grown-ups and the world
of children. The child is granted powers to
understand the world of grown-ups from birth,
but in order to preserve realistic nature when
recreating images of the child’s world, she, as it
true for all babiesm is deprived of the possibility
to talk. However, it seems that during her life she
has already felt the most critical states of the
world of grown-ups: ʻMort! Comme si je ne
savais pas! ʼ (Nothomb, 2000, p. 45). Amelie
also “exists” between the Western world, being a
Belgian from birth, and the Eastern world where
she is brought up by her Japanese babysitter. She
understands Japanese from birth as if it was her
native language. The girl gives an unconditional
preference to her “eastern” existence, beginning
to speak Japanese with her babysitter even before
she started speaking French with her parents and
relatives. Amelie felt she was Japanese, because
this country became the first image of beauty for
the girl: ʻEtre japonaise consistait à vivre au
coeur de la beauté et de l’adorationʼ (Nothomb,
2000, p. 57). Having two governesses, Amelie
feels like staying between two poles – between
good embodied by Nisio-san, and evil
personified by Kasima-san. If Nisio-san, adoring
the girl, succumbed to the play of her fantasy in
God, Kasima-san was not willing to accept this
“religion” and worship the child, thus rooting her
image of evil in the eyes of Amelie. But the
central chronotope opposition becomes life and
death. The girl’s birth was accompanied by
complications, and as a result she was born with
a certain mental disability. Till she was two she
stayed in autistic state without showing any
interest im life. The only signs of the child’s life
activity were feeding and defecation: ʻLes
parents du tube étaient inquiets. Ils convoquèrent
des médecins pour qu'ils se penchent sur le cas
de ce segment de matière qui ne semblait pas
vivreʼ (Nothomb, 2000, p. 9). However, it was
impossible to say that she was dead: ʻVotre
enfant est un légume. C'est très préoccupant. Les
parents furent soulagés par ce qu'ils prirent pour
une bonne nouvelle. Un légume, c'était de la vieʼ
(Nothomb, 2000, p. 9). Subsequently, joy from
the taste of chocolate take her out of living “non-
existence”. Still, the boundary conditions
between life and death are observed during the
entire plot. Thus, Amelie was drowning in the
sea, savouring each instance of transition from
life to death. Soon she decides to take a look at
everything during the night through the open
window and falls out of it: ʻJe tombai... Mes
mollets et mes cuisses étaient allongés sur le
léger rebord du toit, mes hanches reposaient sur
la gouttière, mon tronc et ma tête pendaient dans
le videʼ (Nothomb, 2000, p. 77). Then the girl
lived through drowning again, this time in the
pond, but again savouring existence on the
boundary between existence and non-existence:
ʻDélicieusement sereine, j'observe le ciel à
travers la surface de l'étang. <...> Je me sens bien.
Je ne me suis jamais sentie aussi bienʼ (Nothomb,
2000, p. 147). The epilogue of this work also
states the “non-existence” that followed
separation with Japan: ʻEnsuite, il ne s'est plus
rien passéʼ (Nothomb, 2000, p. 156). Therefore,
the chronotope of novel is created by overlapping
the inner chronotope of the heroine, which in its
turn includes mythical time-space and models of
“boundary” existence over realistic one,
recognizable by time and space markers.
The novel “Cosmetics of the Enemy” (Nothomb,
2001), continuing the novelistic writer’s concept,
operates complex combination of time-pace
models. In this work we find markers of realistic
chronotope: recognizable toponyms (scene of
action – Paris (Nothomb, 2001, p. 42), the place
where hero’s wife was raped – Montmartre
cemetery (Nothomb, 2001, p. 42), mentioning of
the twentieth arrondisement of Paris (Nothomb,
2001, p. 56), the first encounter of the murderer
with the victim–1979 (Nothomb, 2001, p. 42),
etc. The central chronotope of plot actions
includes time-space models of the antagonist’s
childhood, picturing growth of the demonic
personality of the murderer: ʻMes parents sont
morts quand j'avais quatre ans, en me laissant en
héritage cette identité mystérieuse, comme un
message que j'aurais à éluciderʼ (Nothomb, 2001,
p. 15). Mysteriousness and demonic nature of the
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boy named Textor is revealed in his ardent desire
of superiority that pushes him to murder his
competitor:ʻUn dimanche soir, je me suis mis à
prier dans mon lit. Une prière satanique: je priai
Dieu de tuer le petit garçon que je détestais... Le
lendemain matin, à l'école, l'institutrice entra en
classe avec un air contrit. Les larmes aux yeux,
elle nous annonça que Franck était mort pendant
la nuit, d'une inexplicable crise cardiaqueʼ
(Nothomb, 2001, p. 19). Childhood of
mysterious orphan boy is full of states of fanatic
oblivion and ravings. In his raving he feels
affinity with his intestines as well as experiences
split of consciousness. Protagonist also
experiences states of unconscious actions, killing
his own wife at first: ʻ– Tu l'as poignardée à
plusieurs reprises. Aucune parole ne fut
échangée. Silence. – Je ne me souviens pas, dit
Jérôme avec obstinationʼ (Nothomb, 2001,
p. 113), and soon, enraged, he kills himself: ʻLe
24 mars 1999, les passagers qui attendaient le
départ du vol pour Barcelone assistèrent à un
spectacle sans nom. Comme l'avion en était à sa
troisième heure de retard inexpliqué, l'un des
voyageurs quitta son siège et vint se fracasser le
crâne à plusieurs reprises sur l'un des murs du
hall.ʼ (Nothomb, 2001, p. 122). Phenomenon of
split of the hero’s consciousness is reached by the
writer by overlaying inner chronotypes of
protagonists and antagonist in the climax of the
work. In this work the dominant is dramatic
concept of narrative organization, represented by
the dialogue that in the end turns to be an inner
dialogue of the hero with himself, the tragic
pathos of the work in revealed in heros’s
suffering that pushed him to suicide.
Conclusions
Analysis of originality of Nothomb’s works
highlights distinct process of genre-generic
synthesis that expands their pictorial and
expressive possibilities. Genre-style
particularities of Nothomb’s novels are stipulated
by complex chronotope created by overlaying
and antithesis of time-space layers. Most often
the writer opposes realistic and idyllic
chronotopes, building artistic reality on their
boundary. Realistic chronotope in the novels has
usual daily characteristics, flows monotonously
and routinely, creating feeling of intolerability of
life and existential identity crisis. Idyllic
chronotope which is opposed to it embodies
author’s vision of happiness and freedom where
time slows down, each minute of existence is
sensually marked. Time-space of the writer’s
works gets more complicated by chronotope
models of art, love, and metamorphic
reincarnations of characters most often occur
under the chronotope conditions of of raving,
agony, catharsis... All this allows to speak about
presence of existential worldview which
separates Nothomb’s novels from mass
literature.
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