СОЦІАЛЬНА ТА ГЕОГРАФІЧНА ТОПОГРАФІЯ СОРОМУ В РОМАНІ АННІ ЕРНО «СОРОМ»

Abstract

This study focuses on analyzing the concept of shame as a key element of social and spatial identity in the works of Annie Ernaux. The significance of this work lies in the need to examine the connection between urban topography and the individual’s inner development within autobiographical discourse. The research question is to determine to what extent the shame felt by the narrator is linked to her environment, particularly the contrast between the private school and her parents’ grocery store and snack bar. The objective of the investigation is to map the hierarchy of places in the town of Yvetot and to identify how geographical boundaries become social barriers. The methodology is based on topographical description and socio-critical analysis of the text. The results demonstrate that shame is not merely an emotion, but a consequence of “class defection” and physical displacement between different cultural worlds. The conclusions highlight that space in Ernaux’s work is ideologized, where each place marks the subject’s social status.

Keywords: Annie Ernaux, shame, social marker, topography, hierarchy of places, autosociography