J. M. G. Le Clézio's Urban Phantoms and the Paradox of Invisibility
ORCID
Moser: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3824-1021
MSU Affiliation
College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures
Creation Date
2026-06-01
Abstract
Many of Le Clézio's protagonists resemble phantasmal beings, appearing, disappearing, and re-appearing without explanation in works such as Désert, Poisson d'or, and Voyages de l'autre côté. However, it is in the novella Fantômes dans la rue that Le Clézio utilizes cinematic and metafictive techniques to develop this metaphor to its true potential, denouncing the evils of modernity and giving a voice to the disenfranchised and marginalized. Le Clézio depicts the struggles of those on the periphery of society, presenting a bleak assessment of the ramifications of globalization. His destabilizing analogy breathes life into the invisible beings haunting modern society. © Modern Humanities Research Association 2011.
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Publication Title
Modern Language Review
Publisher
Modern Humanities Research Association
First Page
724
Last Page
744
Rights
© Modern Humanities Research Association 2011
Recommended Citation
Keith Moser. “J. M. G. Le Clézio’s Urban Phantoms and the Paradox of Invisibility.” The Modern Language Review, vol. 106, no. 3, 2011, pp. 724–44. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5699/modelangrevi.106.3.0724. Accessed 11 May 2026.
