14 research outputs found
Queer, Gender and Crime Fiction in French Studies: a Hazardous Scientific Endeavour
This article focuses on the multifaceted challenge faced by academics doing queer and gender studies of French crime fiction. It argues that the French literary arena still entertains a sharp divide between literature and commercialist mass fiction, which hinders the establishment of popular fiction studies. It further discusses the reasons for and the effect of queer theoryâs late arrival to France, arguing that Franceâs strong republican ideal entails a fear of ghettoization that has undermined the development of gender and queer analysis, especially of literature. These phenomena, in combination with Franceâs centralized, traditionalist academic institutions and linguistic franco-centrism, contribute to the fact that there are no queer studies of French crime fiction to date. The article concludes by suggesting some possible approaches within the very diverse and elusive field of queer studies that would be suitable for crime fiction analysis and highlights the importance of paying attention to geographical and temporal contexts in such analyses
Le chercheur queer et le roman historique : quelques défis de Marguerite Yourcenar
Cet article aborde la question du contexte dans une analyse queer des romans historiques. Trois niveaux historiques sâentremĂȘlent dans une analyse contemporaine des romans historiques Ă©crits avant lâarrivĂ©e de lâactivisme et de la thĂ©orie queer, câest-Ă -dire la pĂ©riode recrĂ©Ă©e, le contexte de lâauteur et celui de lâanalyste. Lâapproche gĂ©nĂ©alogique des Ă©tudes queer suppose une contextualisation, mais ne prĂ©cise pas lequel de ces contextes devrait ĂȘtre considĂ©rĂ© comme Ă©tant le plus significatif pour une analyse queer. Cet article Ă©tudie trois romans de Marguerite Yourcenar : Alexis ou le TraitĂ© du vain combat, MĂ©moires dâHadrien et LâĆuvre au noir et dĂ©montre quâil est important dâenvisager ces trois contextes pour identifier les maniĂšres spĂ©cifiques dont le thĂšme de la sexualitĂ© est traitĂ© dans ces textes.This article addresses the issue of context in a queer analysis of historical novels. Three historical levels intertwine in a contemporary analysis of historical novels written prior to the advent of queer activism and theory, i.e. the recreated period, the context of the author and that of the analyst. The genealogical approach of queer studies postulates contextualization, but does not specify which of these contexts should be considered most significant for a queer analysis. The article explores three novels by Marguerite Yourcenar: Alexis ou le TraitĂ© du vain combat [Alexis], MĂ©moires dâHadrien [Memoirs of Hadrian] and LâĆuvre au noir [The Abyss] and demonstrates the importance of considering all three contexts for identifying the specific ways in which the theme of sexuality is treated in those texts
The adaptation of three Manchette nĂ©o-polars to Machette-Tardiâs graphic novels
Cultural adaptations have existed for a long time (Hutcheon & OâFlynn 2013). This article discusses adaptation from one narrative genre, the textual nĂ©o-polar crime novel, to another, multimodal comics. It explores three of Jean-Patrick Manchetteâs nĂ©o-polars that have been adapted by Jacques Tardi to three graphic novels: Ă dingos, ĂŽ chĂąteaux! (Folle Ă tuer), Le petit bleu de la cĂŽte Ouest and La position du tireur couchĂ©. The analysis suggests that Tardi remains attached to the fidelity paradigm while he also exploits characteristic features of comics, and his own personal style. While Tardi seemingly wishes to be respectful to his former friend Manchetteâs novels, he creates adaptations that can be read without prior knowledge of the adapted works and which function as independent graphic novels in a recognizable Tardian style.</p
Corps déviants dans le roman policier français : transgressions et/ou réitérations de normes genrées
This article studies the deviant bodies of detectives in crime novels written by Brigitte Aubert, Virginie Brac, Pierre Lemaitre and Fred Vargas. The deviant body is either too big or too small according to gender expectations in Lemaitreâs and Vargasâs work, where its role is limited to characterization. The allusions to the intersex body of Bracâs character VĂ©ra Cabral creates a secondary mystery alongside the criminal investigation. Aubert introduces a trans* investigator in transition in Transfixions, while the trans* protagonist is both murderer and victim in Une Ăąme de trop. The study explores these bodiesâ function in the narratives, and how they relate to the plot. Furthermore, it asks whether they encourage the challenging of gender norms, or end up repeating them
Constructions du genre dans le roman policier « anti-norme » de Fred Vargas
Constructing Gender in Fred Vargasâs Anti-Normative Crime Fiction
Fred Vargasâs crime novels do not fit into any established type of the crime genre. Defying the existence of an ordinary person, the author creates singular characters with odd behaviours and extraordinary capacities, partly in order to challenge gender norms. These characters question existing notions of femininity and masculinity, while at the same time revealing what the author believes to be traditional images of male and female attributes and behaviours, and thereby they implicitly reproduce. Physical appearance, weight in particular, is a central aspect of all female characters intended to challenge gender norms, whereas the male characters display a more diverse approach. The characterisation of such female protagonists seems to be directed primarily against a social norm defining femininity as âtallness, slimness and beauty,â whereas the extraordinary features of the male characters relate more clearly to previous models of investigators found in the crime genre.
Key words: Fred Vargas, crime fiction, gender, literary genre. Le roman policier est marqu
PluralitĂ© et fluiditĂ© antinormatives : Ă©tude sur les transgressions sexuelles dans lâoeuvre romanesque de Marguerite Yourcenar
Avhandlingen Àr en studie i kön, genus och sexualitet i den franska författarinnan Marguerite Yourcenars romaner. Undersökningen utgÄr frÄn ett queer-teoretiskt perspektiv och har som syfte att belysa de olika sÀtt pÄ vilka Yourcenars texter uttrycker ett ifrÄgasÀttande av och ett överskridande av normer betrÀffande kön, manlighet och kvinnlighet, samt sexuella kategorier. Det tudelade könssystemet (man/kvinna) och motsÀttningen mellan heterosexualitet och homosexualitet ses som förenklade sociala konstruktioner som inte motsvarar den mÄngfasetterade verklighet som avbildas i texterna. MÄngfald, flyktighet och grÀnsöverskridande Àr nyckelord i undersökningen.
I avhandlingen granskas snart nÀr alla Yourcenars romaner samt en novell i form av separata lÀsningar, för att ge en sÄ heltÀckande bild som möjligt av hur problematiken behandlas i hennes produktion. SÄledes belyses sÀrarten hos varje verk och det Àr Àven möjligt att uppmÀrksamma den utveckling som skett under karriÀrens gÄng.
Kön och sexualitet diskuteras separat i enlighet med Gayle Rubins och Eve Sedgwicks tes att sexualitetsforskning och genusstudier inte bör sammanblandas: sexualitet Àr ett sÄ komplext fenomen att kön och genus Àr otillrÀckliga analysverktyg för en seriös och djuplodande diskussion. Genom att lyfta fram olika exempel pÄ figurer i Yourcenars romaner som implicit eller explicit tar avstÄnd ifrÄn en klar indelning i mÀn och kvinnor, respektive manlighet och kvinnlighet, pÄvisas att tanken att det existerar tvÄ olika biologiska kön systematiskt tillbakavisas. Diskussionen om sexualitetstemat koncentrerar sig pÄ förhÄllandet mellan homo-och heterosexualitet, men betonar Àven hur temat anknyter till andra centrala teman, sÄsom religion och ras. Bilden av homosexualitet Àndrar frÄn en text till en annan, vilket illusterar att en skarp motsÀttning mellan homo- och heterosexualitet Àr ohÄllbar
Le chercheur queer et le roman historique : quelques défis de Marguerite Yourcenar
This article addresses the issue of context in a queer analysis of historical novels. Three historical levels intertwine in a contemporary analysis of historical novels written prior to the advent of queer activism and theory, i.e. the recreated period, the context of the author and that of the analyst. The genealogical approach of queer studies postulates contextualization, but does not specify which of these contexts should be considered most significant for a queer analysis. The article explores three novels by Marguerite Yourcenar: Alexis ou le TraitĂ© du vain combat [Alexis], MĂ©moires dâHadrien [Memoirs of Hadrian] and LâĆuvre au noir [The Abyss] and demonstrates the importance of considering all three contexts for identifying the specific ways in which the theme of sexuality is treated in those texts
The adaptation of three Manchette nĂ©o-polars to Machette-Tardiâs graphic novels
Cultural adaptations have existed for a long time (Hutcheon & OâFlynn 2013). This article discusses adaptation from one narrative genre, the textual nĂ©o-polar crime novel, to another, multimodal comics. It explores three of Jean-Patrick Manchetteâs nĂ©o-polars that have been adapted by Jacques Tardi to three graphic novels: Ă dingos, ĂŽ chĂąteaux! (Folle Ă tuer), Le petit bleu de la cĂŽte Ouest and La position du tireur couchĂ©. The analysis suggests that Tardi remains attached to the fidelity paradigm while he also exploits characteristic features of comics, and his own personal style. While Tardi seemingly wishes to be respectful to his former friend Manchetteâs novels, he creates adaptations that can be read without prior knowledge of the adapted works and which function as independent graphic novels in a recognizable Tardian style
Le polar en Europe : réécritures du genre
Ce numĂ©ro privilĂ©gie les regards croisĂ©s pour aborder, Ă travers le roman policier, les notions de genre (littĂ©raires et sexuĂ©s), les questionnements sur lâĂ©laboration dâune hiĂ©rarchie littĂ©raire et sur la fonction sociale du roman. Il dĂ©montre Ă©galement lâenracinement du polar dans le rĂ©el et la façon dont ses rĂšgles supposĂ©ment restrictives offrent Ă lâauteur dissident la possibilitĂ© de dĂ©fier lâidĂ©ologie dominante, dâoffrir Ă un public complice, ou pas, une lecture sĂ©ditieuse du monde, de son histoire et de nous mettre face Ă nos propres prĂ©jugĂ©s et prĂ©conceptions. Ce numĂ©ro rĂ©unit donc des universitaires français et britanniques, dans le but de favoriser un dialogue Ă la fois multidisciplinaire et multinational, qui reflĂšte les courants actuels de la critique. Il comprend des articles sur le polar français ainsi que sur le Krimi allemand des annĂ©es 1940 et le roman policier anglais de lâaprĂšs-guerre, mais aussi sur la question toujours Ă©pineuse du statut du polar dans la littĂ©rature