De la civilisation occidentale à son propre ”ailleurs” dans Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique, de Michel Tournier
From Western Civilization to Its ’Elsewheres’ in Michel Tournier’s Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present article is to show another type of reading the history of Robinson as it appears in Michel Tournier’s novels. I also have the intention of emphasizing the main orientation of Michel Tournier’s literature, which is to re-write very well-known stories or myths from another perspective. This may be the reason why many critics consider him a re-inventor of the primitive myths. A comparison with Daniel Defoe’s novel allowed me to notice the main changes made by Tournier, among which I have observed the repositioning of the relationship master-servant, a totally different evolution of the character Robinson, and, mostly, the permanent search of a new identity. But the main character seems to be the island considered a symbol of happiness and freedom. Thus, the writer invites us to look for and discover the other island, seen as a symbol of a civilization created by Robinson, a civilization in which the so-called values of the western civilization do not find their place anymore.

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