'Exorcising the Dagger': Competition, Envy and Resentment in the Work of Nelly Arcan

Abstract

This paper focuses on the role played by envy in Canadian novelist Nelly Arcan’s Folle [Hysteric] (2004) and À ciel ouvert [Breakneck] (2007). By showing that female characters evolve in a world where competition is the main form of social interaction and where the value of female subjects results from their sexualized body, especially through auto-objectification and cosmetic surgery, this paper examines the ways in which envy and ressentiment’s inner workings lead to a tragic outcome. By creating a universe which can be called dystopic, Arcan’s writing invites us to rethink competition and rivalry in her female characters as a sign of insecurity and ontological uncertainty.