Issued by Alnoor University

The Poetics of Absence and Identity in the Novel History of the Son by Marie-Hélène Lafon

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of translation, College of Arts, Alnoor University, Mosul, Iraq.

Abstract
This study explores the poetics of absence and identity in the novel History of the son by French writer Marie-Hélène Lafon. The novel, which belongs to contemporary French fiction, revolves around questions of lineage, memory and family story. The research aims at analysing how the individual identity is constructed in the context of paternal absence and how this absence becomes a central narrative force forming the protagonist’s life. The study adopts a narratological and semiotic approach drawing on both classical and contemporary French critical works, including those of Gérard Genette, Paul Ricoeur and Bruno Blanckeman, in order to understand the mechanism of through which narrative identity and family memory are constructed. The novel demonstrates that the absence of the father is not merely a structural gap in the family system; rather, it becomes a symbolic void that profoundly influences the protagonist André’s perception of himself and his place within the family and the society. Ultimately, the novel suggests that identity is a dynamic construct shaped by memory, time and familial relationships, where the research for the father becomes a deeper quest for self-understanding and belonging.

Keywords

Crossmark

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Volume 4, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 77-86

  • Receive Date 11 April 2026
  • Revise Date 12 May 2026
  • Accept Date 21 May 2026
  • Publish Date 01 June 2026