Madmen and Matriarchs: Gender, Race, and the Reimagining of Creole Identity in Johnelle, by Alfred Mercier [Invited Essay]

Still relatively overlooked, Johnelle by Alfred Mercier is an intriguing meditation on societal collapse and resilience. Shaped by Mercier’s personal experiences and political leanings, the novel delves into motherhood, fatherhood, heredity, and mental illness, and links infanticide to the demise of Francophone Creole culture. It positions female characters as pivotal to Louisiana’s future, contrasting them with male figures whose relevance fades in the aftermath of the American Civil War. This essay examines how Mercier challenged nineteenth-century literary conventions by using gender both as a narrative device and an ontological framework. To a white, crumbling patriarchy, he opposed a multi-racial matriarchal system, and introduced a gender-non-conforming character, inviting readers to envision new possibilities for the future. Ultimately, Johnelle presents a radical vision that questions racial and gender hierarchies and advocates for alternative social structures in postbellum Louisiana.