L’ambivalence du personnage du diable dans les contes martiniquais : la preuve par les chaînes de référence

french

2025

chaînes de référence   character construction   construction des personnages   contes créoles   coreferential chains   Creole folktales   Diable   Lesser Antilles, the Devil, character construction   Petites Antilles   the Devil

Univerza v Ljubljani, Filozofska fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This article examines the ambivalent position of the Devil in Creole, or more precisely Martinican, folktales through a linguistic approach, focusing in particular on the analysis of coreferential chains. Unlike the European tradition, where the Devil typically embodies absolute and unequiv-ocal evil, Antillean folktales depict him in a more complex and varied manner – ranging from evil and ambivalent to helpful and sometimes even as a positive figure.The analysis of four selected folktales (Couillon-nade ka rété pou maîtt yo, Jes Makak, Le sang ka palé and Ti Jan épi diables-la) demonstrates how specific linguistic features, most notably coreferential chains, help to reveal or obscure the Devil’s true identity within the narrative. Coref-erential chains are thus examined in terms of their length, structural complexity and their capacity to construct either a clear or ambiguous image of a given character. The Devil may be referred to in multiple ways – including proper names, personal pronouns, honorific titles, etc. – that reflect his social status, moral position and relationship with other characters in the folktale. Particular emphasis is also placed on the Creole language, which plays a crucial role in the narrative and ideological construction of the Devil’s character, adding layers of meaning that resonate with local cultural, social, and historical contexts. As such, the Devil in the Creole folktales is not a fixed archetype, but rather a marker of social, colonial and religious tensions in the Lesser Antilles. The analysis of coreferential chains allows us to read Creole folktales as critical texts, that draw attention to manifestations of power, deception and the dangers of false appearances.

27.02.2026