Poetics of Work at the Boundaries of Reality and Imagination in L’Interdite by Malika Mokeddem

Abstract

This article focuses on the poetics of work at the boundaries of reality and imagination in L’Interdite by Malika Mokeddem. We aim to highlight the aesthetics of the medical profession and the way the author uses it to blur the line between the imaginary world of the novel and the reality of her own biography. We first demonstrate that the medical profession serves as a bridge between reality and imagination. The author parallels her own life with that of the novel’s heroine, whose main commonality is the profession of a nephrologist. This profession is the primary reason for the fusion between reality and imagination. Then, we show the existence of a hybrid form of writing, presented through a poeticized medical lexicon. We analyze how the author skillfully blends literary devices to poeticize medical language. This study is conducted through the lens of literary sociology, narratology, postcolonial theory, and stylistics.