Autofiction on Violence. The Ethics of Storytelling and the Symbolic Role of Language

Abstract

This article explores the representation of violence in autofiction and its ethical implications. Through an analysis of Édouard Louis’s autofiction, with additional references to contemporary Russian and French authors such as Christine Angot, Egana Jabbarova, Neige Sinno, and Oksana Vasyakina, the article examines how narratives mediate trauma and construct a “victim narrator.” The study highlights the narrative tension between testimonial authenticity and ethical concerns over victimization. Special attention is given to the symbolic role of language in shaping trauma narratives, with a focus on indirect storytelling techniques. The case of History of Violence by Édouard Louis is analyzed to illustrate how autofictional narratives blur the boundaries between narrating ‘I’ and experiencing ‘I,’ reinforcing the narrator’s vulnerability. The article argues that autofiction functions both as a form of literary resistance and as a space for negotiating the ethics of storytelling in the face of violence.