Contraindre le chaos à devenir forme: le motif de la descente aux enfers dans Et les chiens se taisaient d’Aimé Césaire

What is it about?

This article considers what Césaire has drawn from Dante's Commedia (particularly the Inferno) in his depiction of colonial trauma. I examine how the Divine Comedy influences the semantics and themes of Césaire's poetry, taking Et les chiens se taisaient (And the Dogs Were Silent) as point of departure, and how, generally, the Commedia provides an allegorical framework for the poetics of Negritude.

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Why is it important?

This is the first time that Dante's influence on Et les chiens se taisaient is being considered. This study has implications for how we read the poetics of Negritude. Moreover, once Dante's influence on Césaire's poetry has been established, the article will be relevant to how we read Césaire's work more broadly.