Poïétique et politique du littéraire: Annie Ernaux, une écriture « au-dessous de la littérature » ?

Translated title of the contribution: Poietics and politics of the literary: Annie Earnaux, writing "below literature"?

Elise Simone Marie Hugueny-Leger*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In Une femme (1987; A Woman's Story), Annie Ernaux declared that she wished to remain “au-dessous de la littérature” (“below literature”). To what extent is this position, which she has maintained over the last decades, compatible with her consecration as a writer? This article considers the publication of Les Années (2008; The Years) as a turning point followed by the publication of several collaborative and dialogic texts that call into question established literary forms and make visible the process of creation, that it to say the poiesis of the œuvre. By revealing the act of writing, Ernaux contributes to establishing a genealogy of her work, even showing it to have a mythical dimension which is nevertheless tied to socio-political concerns. Exploring the resonance between Ernaux's literary pieces and her paratextual interventions highlights the complex network on which Ernaux's conception of writing, and position towards the idea of literature, are built.
Translated title of the contributionPoietics and politics of the literary: Annie Earnaux, writing "below literature"?
Original languageFrench
Pages (from-to)17-30
Number of pages14
JournalFrench Cultural Studies
Volume35
Issue number1
Early online date13 Feb 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024

Keywords

  • Annie Ernaux
  • Poiesis
  • Politics
  • Myth
  • Genesis
  • Writing as research
  • Literary prizes
  • Political commitment
  • Recognition

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