Aveuglés par le canon L’échec, le racisme et d’autres leçons tirées de l’adaptation d’Othello faite par Balzac

The analysis of the adaptation of Othello that we propose sets aside the myth of artistic genius to study Balzac in his time. It reveals a form of promotion of white supremacy in Balzac as well as our difficulty in talking about racism. It demonstrates that “natural” selection distorts our understanding of racial discrimination and leads us to believe in a “creationist” illusion that normalizes artificial hierarchies.