Vers le passé, vers un abîme. L'apocalisse profonda in La Nuit des temps di René Barjavel = "Vers le passé, vers un abîme". The Deep Apocalypse in La Nuit des temps by René Barjavel

Abstract

The article aims to explore the narrative structures of La Nuit des temps (1968), a pillar of modern French science fiction and one of the finest works by writer, journalist, screenwriter and film critic René Barjavel. Clearly influenced by the tension of the Cold War and the space race, Barjavel creates a work that is simultaneously apocalyptic and dystopian, thanks to a unique mise en abyme and the consequent plot arrangement across two different time planes, connected by the same spatial setting. After outlining the essential features of Barjavel's biography, which is less well-known in Italy than that of his Anglo-American colleagues, the main purpose of the essay is to investigate (also from a comparative perspective) his narrative portrayal of the major concerns of the 1960s. Implicit yet scathing, for example, is Barjavel's critique of destructive atomic weapons and the increasing human dependence on machines. Foreseeing the development of artificial intelligence, he even imagines the birth of a society in which emotional ties are determined by an "ordinateur central". The novel also anticipates May 1968 protests in France, while a potential war to come over space colonization seems to be still relevant today. Attention will be also given to the media representation and the potentially revolutionary role they play in the novel. Furthermore, the work will be read through an interpretative key based on the depth paradigm, recently explored by Niccolò Scaffai. In line with the current revival of a certain "abyss literature", the narrative structure of La Nuit des temps is based on a vertical κατάβασις into spatial depths, simultaneous with a swirling descent into temporal chasms.