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A defining element of Yves Theriault's work, sexuality has frequently been perceived by various critics as a motif which serves to reinforce other, often extraliterary readings. It is my intention on the other hand to study this phenomenon from the viewpoint of its fundamental importance as the primary theme in order to delimit its significance on the structural level. I mean to accentuate not only the principal parameters of the sexual identity of Theriault's characters but also the environment which oversees and influences the origins and the development of their sexuality. It follows from this that nature in his novels and short stories shows itself to be a highly eroticised presence which serves as a model for man in his perpetual struggle for the key to a harmonious relationship with woman. I begin by giving an overview of Theriault's erotic universe before going on to study in greater depth the specificity of the sexual exchange between man and woman. This leads us to the formulation of a more precise idea of the sexual centre of his work. My conclusion takes us inexorably back to the outset of the study, for it underlines the essential contribution of an eroticised nature to the development of a healthy sexual and emotional relationship within the couple. The general direction of this procedure reflects to no small degree the cyclical, never-ending quest of a writer who is continually striving for the salvation of mankind through his art.

This thesis is concerned with the "Americanity" of Quebec literature and the existence of a cultural formation specific to the New World, based on a context of renewal, distancing and rupture with respect to European influence. The "real maravilloso" is perceived as an inherent American mode of expression, and its presence is examined in the work of Yves Theriault and Alejo Carpentier. An analysis of the short stories, Contes pour un homme seul (1944) by Theriault and "Histoire de lunes" (1933) by Carpentier, and of the novels Agaguk (1958) and Le royaume de ce monde (1949), allows us to compare the evolution from primitivism to the "real maravilloso americano", revealed in the novel through the "figures of the Other" and the status of the character, characterized by duality (contrast between the primitive forces and civilized world), its quest, its integration with nature, and the importance of sacred ritual.

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