Shaping the Novel: Receptions of the Essais - Hardcover

Mitchell, Constantina Thalia; Cote Paul Raymond

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1571810366 ISBN 13: 9781571810366

Publisher: Berghahn Books, 1996

Synopsis

The dialogue between form and message is intrinsic to the novel as genre. Yet the strength of that discourse has been shaken in the twentieth century by an increasing doubt about affirmations of any kind and a growing awareness of the relativity of knowledge and perception. The novel reflects this intellectual current by turning its glance inward to mediate on the creative act as a form of self-contained assertion of its own particular significance. The three writers on whom this study focuses, all major twentieth century authors, were chosen because they can be considered as important representatives of this novelistic self-consciousness. Building on Andre Malraux's vision of the colloquium as an open-ended verbal interchange, this study calls upon the voices of Anne Herbert and Patrick Modiano to enter into a dialogue on novelistic form.

About this title

Review:

"... the authors ... show us in admirable detail how the authors have created self-referential works which make the novel a vital part of the artistic expression ... draws upon an extensive bibliography and a thorough understanding of how to incorporate critical theory ... an incontrovertible source." - Canadian Literature

"... provides useful readings of important literary texts of our time, but, more than that, it provides food for reflection on the value of the literary project in the postmodern era." - Quebec Studies

"... a detailed study, based on a sound understanding of Malraux's, Hébert's and Modiano's works and of modern and postmodern literary criticism. It will rekindle your interest in these authors or will compel you to deepen and enrich it." - French Review

About the Author:

Constantina Thalia Mitchell is Professor of French at Gallauder University (Washington D.C.). She holds a Ph.D. in French literature from McGill University and a licence es lettres from the Sorbonne. Her publications include works on Paul Verlaine, Anne Herbert, Yves Beauchemin, and nineteenth- and twentieth century deaf history of Quebec. She has served on the executive and editiorial boards of the American Council for Quebec Studies, as well as the Galluader University Press editorial board. Paul Raymond Cote is Associate Professor of French at The American University (Washington D.C.) and received his Ph.D. in French literature from McGill University. The author of Les Techniques picturales chez les romains de Malraux: interrogation et metamorphose (1984), he has also written on other contemporary French authors and has published a number of articles dealing with the literature of Quebec. He has served as managing editor of The Andre Malraux Review and as as member of the Quebec Studies editorial board.

About this edition

• Publisher: Berghahn Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1571810366
• ISBN 13: 9781571810366
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240