Le moi et ses centres de gravité

Abstract

The objective of this article is to argue in favour of two positions the Self frequently adopts about the meaning of « center » in an (inter)personal context: playing the role of the animator or referring everything to Self. The literary texts examined, among which there are Barbe Bleue (Ch. Perrault), Le Rouge et le Noir (Stendhal), Le journal d'un séducteur (S. Kierkegaard), À la recherche du temps perdu (M. Proust), Les Mots (J.-P. Sartre), L'Étranger (A. Camus), build in their own manner figures of Self that either claims the position of « center » for himself, or assign it to Other by transfer. This double grid reading, Self centre/Other centre leads to the discovery of certain intimate motives determining most of the relational destiny of the characters. Fantasies of either excessive or deficient narcissism are one of the motives which make the individual perceive Self or Other in a certain way.