The goal of this paper is to show how Édouard Glissant’s understanding of Antillean culture and literature evolve from the project of antillanité to the idea of creolization. The former (put forward in Le discours antillais published in 1981), bears the mark of an “insular” perception of the West Indies, but it simultaneously gives birth to some concepts stressing a relational character of the Antillean social and cultural reality. In a more detailed and elaborated form, this “archipelagic” perspective will be in the very center of Glissant’s aesthetic program presented in Poétique de la relation (1990) and Traité du Tout‑monde (1997), which extend the range of analyzed issues in order to encompass the globalization phenomenon.

Key words: creolization, postcolonial literature, Caribbean literature, Édouard Glissant, antillanité, cultural transfers, literature and globalization

Le Tombeau des romans (1626), attributed to Fancan, discusses the usefulness of romances and historiography. In the first part of his pamphlet, Fancan criticizes fiction’s artifice as a lie. In the second part, however, the writer praises fiction as a way of teaching the truth in a veiled manner. Ibrahim (1641) appeared with a preface attributed to Georges de Scudéry, in which the questions of literary rules, probability (vraisemblance) and historicity in romances are asked. Writings on the novel of Fancan and Scudéry comprise important French treatises of the 17th century, which show the evolution of the genre of romance.

Key words: French 17th century romance, François Dorval-Langlois de Fancan, Georges de Scudéry.

This paper makes use of different disciplinary methodologies in order to analyze the issue of death and representation of funerary rites within the universe of the cyberspace, in order to propose a balanced integrative vision of the function and role of recurrent non‑places within the virtual space: the electronic cemeteries with their specific rituals. Starting from an anthropo‑semio‑semantic approach and using the comparatist method, the article analyzes the specificity of funerary rites (counter‑rituals) and ceremonies related to online memorials and electronic cemeteries pertaining to different cultural spaces (French, Romanian, Indian, English‑American and so on).

Key words: death, funerary rites, rituals, electronic cemeteries, online memorials, non‑places, postmodernism

Literary Discourse and Feminist Thought. From Simone de Beauvoir to Simone Schwarz-Bart

This article aims to rethink the social and literary trajectory of Simone Schwarz-Bart in the 1960s and 1970s in the francophone intellectual field. The paper discusses her views on gender relations, her relationship to the feminist movement and some of its prominent figures (e.g. Simone de Beauvoir and Monique Wittig). Finally, the impact of feminism on her literary production is analyzed.

Key words: francophone literature, black feminism, french literature, feminism, gender studies.

Enlighted elites were imperatively struggling against fear, perceived as the source of tensions and social conflicts. This struggle incited a number of very different initiatives, such as the articles from Encyclopédie [Encyclopaedia] by Diderot / d’Alembert or from Dictionnaire philosophique [Philosophical Dictionary] by Voltaire, philosophical tales by the latter and, finally, the philosophical novel by Jan Potocki, in its two versions from 1804 and 1810, recently discovered by François Rosset and Dominique Triaire. The fear of supernatural and, especially, of death is being tamed thanks to well-known literary proceedings (irony or the comic), which may be described using the theory of games by Roger Caillois or by Colas Duflo. Hereafter, we are putting forward the ambivalence appearing in the first case and particularly noticeable in Potocki’s writings.

Key words: Voltaire, Jan Potocki, philosophical tale, philosophical novel, theory of games, fear, irony, the comic

In his Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men (Discours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes, 1755) Jean‑Jacques Rousseau argued that man, in a state of nature, was inherently good, but became depraved the moment he decided to live in societies. In 18th century European literature, Rousseau’s idea assumed shape in the description of the original inhabitants of Tahiti. For the first time, Louis Antoine de Bougainville described them as the embodiment of Rousseau’s natural man. At this very moment, Tahiti became, in the European imagination, the epitome of paradise on earth. Beside the account of Bougainville’s journey, the following paper is focussed on literary texts of James Cook, Georg Forster and Denis Diderot.

Key words: Tahiti, the Enlightenment, bon sauvage, utopian thought

The aim of this article is to analyze Francophony as a myth which is, according to Roland Barthes, “depoliticized speech” turning “the complexity of human acts” into “the simplicity of essences.” In Barthes’ way of approaching myth, I will try to demystify (demythologize) deep ideological structures of the Francophone discourse of universal and humanist values which seem to have never been reexamined in the francophone world so far. Now, if these values are similar to those preached by La République, which keeps believing that it has a monopoly on them, one can say that Francophony, whether we like it or not, is a political act. And that is not only in the sense of polis, as a community speaking the same language and recognizing the same values, but also in the sense of realpolitik, which needs to be understood as the continuation of an imperialistic gesture overshadowed by the neo-republican discourse of equality.

Key words:  Francophony, Myth, Mythologies, French Republic, Multiculturalism, French Theory.

The present article examines the works of Chateaubriand (Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem) and Victor Hugo (Les Orientales and Bug-Jargal), focusing on what they reveal about Eastern and Caribbean “Otherness.” In other words, these two authors build a vision of the Other that can be positioned against postcolonialism, as the discourse they inscribe themselves in is characteristic of domination whose effects are a form of violence.

Key words: Postcolonial studies, French literature, sociology of literature, philosophy of literature.

Folle by Nelly Arcan : Biological Determinants in the Construction of the Masculine Identity

The reading of Folle, a novel written by Nelly Arcan, might well be an experience of disillusionment. The current analysis suggests that its principal masculine character insists on the primacy of biological factors. Through this line of thought, the reader and the contemporary thinker may want to question their perception of the construction of masculine identity as the principal masculine character is oblivious to theories of gender. He forgets that the modern human brain is not immutable and that femininity and masculinity are social constructions. For him, there is a huge gap between man and woman and this space seems to be the result of testosterone.

Key words: construction of masculine identity, biological determinants, gender differences, Québécois literature, Nelly Arcan, Judith Butler, Nancy Huston.

The article investigates into the conflict of virtue and ‘pleasure principle’ in Italo Svevo’s novel La coscienza di Zeno (1923). Throughout his life, the main character of this novel, Zeno Cosini, sees himself confronted with the demand of leading a virtuous life corresponding to the definition given by his social environment. Engaging himself into this project with resolutions which are equally categorical, firm and ready to be turned round to their opposite, more pleasant side, Zeno Cosini denies his inevitable progression on the slippery slope, his resolutions providing the promising basic condition for his various forbidden pleasures, which at the same time allow him to fathom out the borders and limits of good and evil. The more he digresses from his aim, the more he insists on increasingly exacerbated resolutions, for his emphatic obstinacy concerning his project of being “actively virtuous” allows him to indulge more and more in iteratively “last” deviations from his project which is obviously far beyond his possibilites. Nevertheless, Zeno Cosini manages to wash his hands off by making a virtue out of necessity. Thus, strokes of fate (for instance being diagnosed as having a mortal disease) appear to him as a relief or a blessing, and, looking back, he uses his entire life failure as a shelter from further demands of “reason”. In order to justify (also to himself) his recidivous existence, Zeno Cosini pleads the apparent powerlessness of the modern individual in the face of life which appears to him as per se contingent, ambivalent and full of imponderabilities. He thus delegates the moral responsibility to life itself which he judges to be “original”. From this point of view adapted cynically to his needs, Zeno Cosini realizes that what can be conceived as an “illness” is by no means his vice, his recidivism or his bad conscience, but life itself — which can be catered for with a great deal of good will, analyzed and fathomed out conscientiously via transgression — according to him, is nothing but a manifestation of illness — moreover, an incurable and mortal one — for which there is no remedy, but which can at least be truffled with transgressions.

Key words: Transgression, contingency, ambivalence, irony.

Maryse, a postmodern novel by Francine Noël, offers an ironic look at the baby boomers’ uncertain axiology. We focus on the multiple levels of irony inherent in the portrait of the characters of the novel. Our analysis of the ironic discourse has two interpretative components. First, we closely examine the dialogue between two characters, lovers, which reflects, as in a mise en abyme, the baby boomers’ generally accepted idea of the couple. Second, we study the ironic discourse of the couple from the social perspective, as seen through Maryse’s sentimental affair, whose personal and professional journey exemplifies the intertextual game found in other French classic novels (Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu and Quebecois novels (Gabrielle Roy’s Bonheur d’occasion).

Key words: The postmodern novel, the couple, intertextual game, the baby boom generation, the literary portrait of a protagonist, the ironic.

Le texte explore la représentation du sujet afro-polonais dans le discours littéraire de Dongala et Dove en se concentrant sur l'identification ontologique et la conception humaniste du sujet. Il applique ces deux notions à l’analyse de la figuration du sujet afro-polonais dans le roman "La sonate à Bridgetower : Sonata Mulattica" (2017) d'Emmanuel Dongala, en faisant de cette représentation une instance de questionnement de la liberté. Parallèlement, la poésie de Rita Dove, à travers "Sonata Mulattica" (2010), met en avant l'espoir et la puissance libératrice de la musique dans le parcours de Bridgetower, élargissant ainsi la perspective à l'échelle européenne, notamment en incluant l'Angleterre et la France. Dans les deux récits, la figure de Bridgetower incarne un nouvel humanisme afro-polonais dans l'Europe du XVIIIe siècle, tout en soulignant les enjeux contemporains de discrimination et de quête d'acceptation sociale.

The article aims to study the evolution of the genre of an epistolary novel in contemporary French-speaking literature (Senegalese, Moroccan and Belgian). It goes without saying that the transformation of the epistolary novel is socially determined. It arises from social changes and the hybrid nature of the genre: the letter as an authentic, even paraliterary form, can overlap with other discursive forms, for example the intimate journal. Indeed, the epistolary form adapts well to the resources of the first-person narration. This is why the article follows a historical-literary approach, which allows for the examination of the evolution of the form as well as recurring themes and motifs. The evolution of the epistolary novel in the 20th and 21st centuries clearly illustrates that so-called “civilizational” problems replace the exaltation of love. This concerns, for example, the problem of polygamy in certain regions of Africa, obesity and finally the war in Afghanistan. The Francophone epistolary novel is an untouched territory. While reconnecting with the European tradition of the 18th century, particularly French, it sets a new trend in the evolution of the genre, which can be defined as epistolary autofiction.

In the nineteenth century, Paris was an uncertain place due to several causes. The middle-class felt a threat to a society which was being redefined in an unexpected way and lost its traditional marks. Paris, as a mythical and symbolic city, offers then an ideal framework to the detective novel from its origins, kind of novels that spreads the insinuation of the danger in the city. Emile Gaboriau, father of the French detective novel, plays on the fear and the anxiety towards this changing world. The capital presents a dark and scary atmosphere convenient to the mystery and crime. Thus, the lower class is seen as wild and dangerous; the city which spreads out presents blurred and disturbing borders; finally, the night strengthens the dark face of Paris exciting the fantasies and emphasizing the fears.

Key words: detective novel, Paris, nineteenth century, night, crime, border, popular class

On the example of two writers of the African diaspora in France, Alain Mabanckou and Léonora Miano, the following paper examines how the notion of the author can be manipulated by the media and become a generator of controversy. Moreover, it deals with the impact of their media coverage (limited to the Parisian press and Websites) of their recent productions: Black Bazar (2009) and Demain, j’aurai vingt ans (2010) by Alain Mabanckou and Les Aubes écarlates (2009) and Blues pour Elise (2010) by Léonora Miano. This impact is evaluated through the comparative analysis of the writers’ works and perspectives.

Key words: Francophone literature, African literature, French literature, contemporary novel, media device.

Dans ses romans, Ananda Devi a toujours su nous plonger dans des textes anoblis par des peintures locales où l’Inde matricielle figure à travers la représentation d’un univers cosmogonique dominé par le symbolisme magico-spirituel indien. Certaines interprétations homogènes, fruits des constructions historiques, occultent, voire négligent parfois l’hétérogénéité très ancrée des traditions indiennes à Maurice. Ce « contraste bipolaire » (Sen, 2007), somme des épissures imaginaires et des interfusions culturelles constituent pourtant l’humus de l’identité mauricienne construite au fil de l’histoire coloniale. L’auteure s’illustre alors à travers ses écrits en tant qu’une figure majeure de cette forme de représentation binaire de l’univers mauricien. Notre étude vise à dévoiler les amalgames imaginaires qui circulent dans les textes de Devi en partant des formes de discours et de savoirs subrepticement disséminés dans les motifs tels le « sari » et « la chevelure ». En nous appuyant sur une grille d’analyse ethnocritique, nous allons montrer comment les romans de Devi, véritables « ethnotextes » (Motsch, 2000), parviennent par un effet méiotique, à façonner un « nouvel humanisme » aux antipodes des représentations « orientalistes » (Said, 1978) et ethnocentriques de l’Inde vue par l’Occident.

The article problematizes the form of the “para-dictionary” used by the authors of stereotypical collections in the 19th century (Flaubert, Rigaud, Bloy). The meaning of these numerous published collections, the outbreak of the nineteenth neo-encyclopedicism, is not limited to narrowly understood didacticism and bourgeois criticism of “bȇtise”. The form used in them is based on the paradox that determines its uniqueness. The starting point for studying this paradoxical form is the semantic tension between ossification, repetition, symbolized by the stereotype and literary character of these “para-dictionaries”, which through irony, humor, linguistic gloss, original selection are examples of creative transformation “ossified”, which is the opposite of originality and repeated. In the twentieth and twenty-first century, the use of the “para-dictionary” form leads to the redefinition of certain genres, as is the case with Genette’s innovative autobiography.