La forza della parola in Texaco di Patrick Chamoiseau

Abstract

This study aims to examine the linguistic dimension of a work whose narrative is set against the geographical backdrop of Martinique, where a contrast arises between the urbanized Fort-de-France and the “spontaneous” Texaco suburb – a diverse melting pot of ethnicities that strongly resists the imposed process of urbanization. In this long conflict between action, subordination and reaction, the power of the word emerges as the only, true, weapon against city conquest – in Creole “En-ville”. The work entitled Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau is named after the working-class neighbourhood of Fort-de-France, known for the events surrounding the oil company of the same name. For us, the linguistic innovations in Chamoiseau’s narration become a key to understanding the multiplicities, conflicts and spontaneities, elements that highlight the representations of a world of its own, complex, as well as the gap between neighbourhood and city. The analysis of neologisms and metaphors contributes to a profound understanding of the composite and variegated nature of Antilles creole, Chamoiseau’s main focus.