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The America of two Erics

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2021

Abstract

In The Postmodern Condition, Jean-François Lyotard observes the progressive erosion of the great (meta)narratives, typical of modernity, in favor of a co-presence of numerous heterogeneous discourses-testimonies which collide freely, without congealing into any system. Such a paradigm shift seems to exclude ancient genres, such as myth or epic, from contemporary literature.

However, certain Quebec authors today endeavor to grasp the American myth, and this through "postmodern epics". The article is devoted to the 1984 trilogy (formed by Hungary-Hollywood Express - 2011, Mayonnaise - 2012 and Apple S - 2013) by Éric Plamondon, as well as The American Bride (2012) by Éric Dupont, in the aim to examine the structure and functioning of such "great American narratives".