The dysfunctional family in contemporary (post-1990) French and American films and novels

This thesis explores a question which runs through contemporary fiction: what is the weight of the family of origin once children have become adults? It does so by examining the families in six different works: Un Conte de Noël by Arnaud Desplechin, Le Skylab by Julie Delpy, Rien ne s'oppose à la nuit by Delphine de Vigan, The Savages by Tamara Jenkins, August: Osage County by John Wells and We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates. My approach in this thesis is pluridisciplinary both in terms of my primary and secondary material. I use films and novels, and, while I rely on traditional film and literary criticism, I also borrow concepts and ideas from psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, and anthropology. Concepts drawn from these fields shed light on issues and dynamics that might otherwise go unnoticed. Each chapter has a different approach: 'Home' argues that the childhood home is especially significant as the place which physically embodies the family, 'The Reunion' demonstrates how family reunions uncover the family system which characters operate within, 'Meals' offers a reading of family dynamics through an examination of the representation of family meals, while 'Secrets and Traumas' argues that family secrets and traumas affect family dynamics, and offer keys to individual characters' psyche. Throughout the thesis I observe the ways in which families can become dysfunctional, and the effects of these dysfunctions on its members. I do so by exploring themes such as cross-generational transmissions, the relationships which exist between different members of the family, and how the family can be a locus of trauma. The analysis sees two recurring questions emerge: what makes someone part of a family, and whether the family is a ‘trap’ or a ‘refuge’. Throughout these explorations, the question is one of identity: how is one's identity shaped by their family, and is it possible to forego or escape family transmission. </p

Des premières transplantations rénales à la transplantation rénale pédiatrique actuelle

La transplantation rénale est le traitement de choix de l’insuffisance rénale terminale chez l’enfant, mais cela reste une procédure rare avec, en France, seulement 100 à 120 transplantations rénales pédiatriques par an. Si les grands principes de la transplantation rénale sont identiques chez l’enfant et chez l’adulte, certaines spécificités en lien avec les maladies rénales sous-jacentes, la technique chirurgicale, le métabolisme des immunosuppresseurs et le risque de complication infectieuse, justifient une prise en charge particulière des jeunes patients. La morbidité de la dialyse, particulière chez l’enfant, et le besoin de transplantations répétées au cours de la vie du patient expliquent des spécificités pédiatriques dans le choix des donneurs et l’allocation des greffons sur la liste d’attente nationale. L’objectif de cette revue est de présenter l’histoire et les spécificités de la transplantation rénale pédiatrique, de décrire l’état actuel de cette activité en France et d’évoquer les perspectives futures en soulignant le besoin de recherches fondamentale et clinique focalisées sur la population pédiatrique

The dysfunctional family in contemporary (post-1990) French and American films and novels

This thesis explores a question which runs through contemporary fiction: what is the weight of the family of origin once children have become adults? It does so by examining the families in six different works: Un Conte de Noël by Arnaud Desplechin, Le Skylab by Julie Delpy, Rien ne s'oppose à la nuit by Delphine de Vigan, The Savages by Tamara Jenkins, August: Osage County by John Wells and We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates. My approach in this thesis is pluridisciplinary both in terms of my primary and secondary material. I use films and novels, and, while I rely on traditional film and literary criticism, I also borrow concepts and ideas from psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, and anthropology. Concepts drawn from these fields shed light on issues and dynamics that might otherwise go unnoticed. Each chapter has a different approach: 'Home' argues that the childhood home is especially significant as the place which physically embodies the family, 'The Reunion' demonstrates how family reunions uncover the family system which characters operate within, 'Meals' offers a reading of family dynamics through an examination of the representation of family meals, while 'Secrets and Traumas' argues that family secrets and traumas affect family dynamics, and offer keys to individual characters' psyche. Throughout the thesis I observe the ways in which families can become dysfunctional, and the effects of these dysfunctions on its members. I do so by exploring themes such as cross-generational transmissions, the relationships which exist between different members of the family, and how the family can be a locus of trauma. The analysis sees two recurring questions emerge: what makes someone part of a family, and whether the family is a âtrapâ or a ârefugeâ. Throughout these explorations, the question is one of identity: how is one's identity shaped by their family, and is it possible to forego or escape family transmission. </p