« Puisque ce qui importe, c’est la recherche de la vérité »: la construction du récit de soi à la lumière de l’avant-texte de Mémoire de fille

This article sheds light on the making of Mémoire de fille (2016) by investigating its draft manuscripts and the various phases of research which they reveal: both the gathering of documentation prior to writing, and the research involved in the writing process itself. In a narrative where the writer is searching for her former self, draft manuscripts and preliminary notes allow us to understand the investigation process undertaken by the author, as she puts together what she calls a “case file” in the manner of a criminal investigation. This article examines the book’s various temporal layers, from its long genesis to its relevance to contemporary debates; its ethical dimension; and the role of writing in giving meaning to archives of the self. In the end, it demonstrates that Ernaux’s formal choices stem from a desire for knowledge which only the writing process can achieve.