Auf den Spuren der Attentate vom 13. November 2015

Weibliche Blicke auf Paris in Survivre von Frederika Amalia Finkelstein

Abstract

The Paris attacks of November 13, 2015, have left an indelible mark on French collective memory, inspiring immediate literary reactions such as Frederika Amalia Finkelstein’s novel Survivre (2017). In an urban context, this narration explores the aftermath of these traumatic events through the perspective of the narrator and protagonist Ava. She roams the city marked by terror and violence, assuming the role of a flâneuse. The present contribution examines how trauma processing unfolds in the urban space from a feminine perspective. The analysis centres on the phases of coping with trauma, which correspond to the structure of the autobiographically inspired work and are reflected in Ava’s subjective perception and interaction with both virtual and physical spaces. This reveals that the French capital not only serves as a lieu de mémoire but also as a reflection of her psychological state.