Antoine Compagnon
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266670
- eISBN:
- 9780191905391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266670.003.0014
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
Roland Barthes constantly complained about being overwhelmed with requests and importunities; people were always sending him texts to read, and strangers would write or phone for appointments, ...
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Roland Barthes constantly complained about being overwhelmed with requests and importunities; people were always sending him texts to read, and strangers would write or phone for appointments, articles, and advice. What he called the burden of administration (‘la gestion’) took up as much of his time as creative work. And he entertained the dream of a Vita Nova, liberated from supplications. The decision of ‘15 April 1978’, recorded in La Préparation du roman, was a revelation: henceforth, all of his life would be concentrated around literature – the novel – and he would switch to an ex-directory phone number. Yet Barthes, at the same time, loved the pressure of demands; he was addicted to the flow of requests and could not work without the stimulus of commissions and deadlines. In fact, as he well knew, most of what he produced started out as a commission (whether a ‘demande’ or a ‘commande’), right from the very first articles in Combat and his many contributions to book clubs. All through his life the pressure of writing for journals never ceased: Existences, Esprit, Théâtre populaire, Lettres nouvelles, L’Observateur or France-Observateur; later Critique, Communications, Tel Quel… This is the paradox to be explored in this chapter.Less
Roland Barthes constantly complained about being overwhelmed with requests and importunities; people were always sending him texts to read, and strangers would write or phone for appointments, articles, and advice. What he called the burden of administration (‘la gestion’) took up as much of his time as creative work. And he entertained the dream of a Vita Nova, liberated from supplications. The decision of ‘15 April 1978’, recorded in La Préparation du roman, was a revelation: henceforth, all of his life would be concentrated around literature – the novel – and he would switch to an ex-directory phone number. Yet Barthes, at the same time, loved the pressure of demands; he was addicted to the flow of requests and could not work without the stimulus of commissions and deadlines. In fact, as he well knew, most of what he produced started out as a commission (whether a ‘demande’ or a ‘commande’), right from the very first articles in Combat and his many contributions to book clubs. All through his life the pressure of writing for journals never ceased: Existences, Esprit, Théâtre populaire, Lettres nouvelles, L’Observateur or France-Observateur; later Critique, Communications, Tel Quel… This is the paradox to be explored in this chapter.
TIM FARRANT
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198151975
- eISBN:
- 9780191710247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151975.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
This chapter begins with an analysis of La Peau de chagrin, which is a summation of Balzac's work to date. It grows out of journal articles: Les Litanies romantiques, where it is first mentioned as ...
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This chapter begins with an analysis of La Peau de chagrin, which is a summation of Balzac's work to date. It grows out of journal articles: Les Litanies romantiques, where it is first mentioned as ‘mon célèbre conte fantastique’ in December 1830, and Le Dernier Napoléon, which is both a typical newspaper portrait-narrative and an early version of the opening. It then examines Romans et contes philosophiques and Les Cent Contes drolatiques.Less
This chapter begins with an analysis of La Peau de chagrin, which is a summation of Balzac's work to date. It grows out of journal articles: Les Litanies romantiques, where it is first mentioned as ‘mon célèbre conte fantastique’ in December 1830, and Le Dernier Napoléon, which is both a typical newspaper portrait-narrative and an early version of the opening. It then examines Romans et contes philosophiques and Les Cent Contes drolatiques.
Karen R. Lawrence
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813034775
- eISBN:
- 9780813038612
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813034775.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
The development of Joycean studies into a respected and very large subdiscipline of modernist studies can be traced to the work of several important scholars. Among those who did the most to document ...
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The development of Joycean studies into a respected and very large subdiscipline of modernist studies can be traced to the work of several important scholars. Among those who did the most to document James Joyce's work, the author of this book can easily be considered one of that elite cadre. A retrospective of decades of work on Joyce, this collection includes published journal articles, book chapters, and selections from her best known work (all updated and revised), along with one new chapter. In addition the book features engaging close readings of such works by Joyce as Dubliners and Ulysses.Less
The development of Joycean studies into a respected and very large subdiscipline of modernist studies can be traced to the work of several important scholars. Among those who did the most to document James Joyce's work, the author of this book can easily be considered one of that elite cadre. A retrospective of decades of work on Joyce, this collection includes published journal articles, book chapters, and selections from her best known work (all updated and revised), along with one new chapter. In addition the book features engaging close readings of such works by Joyce as Dubliners and Ulysses.
