Politics of Remediation: The Renewed Commitment of Contemporary French Literature. Critical Issues and Societal Debates 1

Alexandre Gefen (1)

1 THALIM - THALIM - Théorie et histoire des arts et des littératures de la modernité - UMR 7172

The aim of this article is to investigate several issues related to the renewed social and political commitment of contemporary French literature. The article considers literature's ability to oppose societal normativity as political storytelling through entrusting both individuals and the community with increased acting power, as well as through challenging critics and academics to take part in current debates. Showing that literature can become a tool of individual reconstruction and can recreate social links, or a remedy against various forms of individualism and tendencies towards commodifying the world, the article presents several types of contemporary French works of fiction whose main goals are theorizing, describing, expressing empathy towards those who are confronted with illness, death, exile or terrorism. Several literary works that contest identity or societal labels are added to these, since they help us debate upon and stand up against inequalities or normativity.

Mots clés: contemporary French literature; remediation; resilience; ecology; feminism; politics of writing; social issues; terrorism; illness

Domaines: Méthodes et statistiques; Littératures

Alexandre Gefen. Politics of Remediation: The Renewed Commitment of Contemporary French Literature. Critical Issues and Societal Debates 1. Word and Text, A Journal of Literary Studies and Linguistics, 2020, X (2020). ⟨hal-03060203⟩