Le mythe de Cléopâtre dans "L'Heure sexuelle' (1898), de Rachilde

Abstract

This article analyses the rewriting about the myth of Cleopatra in a novel published by Rachilde in the late 19th century. Rachildewas a prolific French writer who belonged to the Decadence fin de siècleperiod and whoseliteraryproduction extends throughoutthe early 20thcentury. One of her most used techniques was therewriting, which is frequently appreciable onher narrativeworks. In 1898, the writer published L’Heure sexuelle, a novel whose content, firstly adapted from the decadent fin de siècleaesthetic, presents relations of intertextuality with the myth/legend of Cleopatra. The obsession of the authorLouis Rogèsfor Cleopatraallowshimtorecognisethislegendaryfigure reflected intoa young prostitute. Rachilde realizes a heterodiegetic transposition of this mythbecause the writer createsherselfa new version of Cleopatra following the precepts of the imaginary of the Decadence.