Présence du fantastique dans les tragédies de Sénèque. Aspects génériques, esthétiques et sémantiques

This work attempts to describe, determine and analyse which elements of Senecan tragedy may be considered “Gothic” or “fantastic” from a modern point of view. Gothic and fantastic literature are commonly associated with supernatural phenomena, supernatural beings, madmen and nightmarish atmospheres intended to terrify the reader. Many scholars have already noticed that many of those motives are also the hallmark of Senecan tragedy but the comparison between his plays and the Gothic and fantastic aesthetic is rarely made. Macabre themes and the pungent style abounding to the extreme, which are characteristic of Seneca’s tragedies, are traditionally read by scholars as examples of Roman Baroque. I set out to prove that Seneca’s tragedies may be closer to fantastic literature than to the Baroque trends in the Renaissance. Seneca fills his plays with supernatural beings, fantasies on infernal subjects and uncanny events. Those motives contribute to developing a nightmarish atmosphere and to terrifying the audience. In fact Seneca aims to involve the audience emotionally and seeks to stun. Therefore he follows the theory developed by Longinus in his treatise On the Sublime: the vivid description of supernatural places, of horrible ghost and monsters reminds us that a great poet is able to place before our eyes scenes that are impossible in real life. In doing so Seneca uses many literary strategies to arouse fear that resemble the techniques used by Gothic and fantastic writers. Seneca’s interest in the arousal of fear leads him to devise a new conception of tragedy and to construct a real aesthetic of horror.