The Symbolic and Literary Dimension of Saint-Exupéry’s Chronicles on the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

The aim of this article is to highlight the symbolic and literary dimension of the chronicles written by Saint-Exupéry about the Spanish Civil War. In these works the literary dimension is at the service of the symbolic dimension and their overall meaning is conveyed by the ethical engagement and the glance that the speaking self casts upon the terrible events that he eye-witnessed. We will also see how the voice of the witness-narrator frequently chooses an impresionist style as well as metaphors which produce either the transformation or the mythification of the main theme