University of Exeter Press

Short French Fiction

Essays on the Short Story in France in the Twentieth Century

    • 184 Pages


    Short fiction in France has made a major contribution to French culture and literature. This volume provides new insights into some of the best examples of this form of writing in the twentieth century and also includes a chapter which explores ways in which the genre is evolving as the century draws to a close.



    Each chapter has been written by specialists in their particular field; their interpretations are backed by the experience of teaching and writing about these authors. They invite the reader to go beyond the immediate context or circumstances of what is related in the story under scrutiny and illustrate some of the many ways in which short stories may be narrated. In some cases stories are revisited and subjected to new interpretations; in others those perhaps less well known are revealed as being no less rewarding. The book offers stimulating reading for those already familiar with some of the works under discussion as well as for those coming to them afresh.





    This volume provides new insights into some of the best examples of this form of writing in the twentieth century and also includes a chapter which explores ways in which the genre is evolving as the century draws to a close.




    “This volume is to be recommended both for the new readings of a number of key texts and for the highly pertinent account it provides of the evolving aesthetics of short fiction in France.” (Modern Language Review, Vol. 95, No. 3, 2000)



    Contents: Jean-Paul Sartre - "L'Enfance d'un chef", William Bell; Marcel Ayme - "La Carte", Christopher Lloyd; Albert Camus - "La Pierre qui pousse", David Walker; Margaret Yourcenar - "La Lait de la mort", Sally Wallis; Simone de Beauvoir - "La Femme rompue", Ray Davison; Michel Tournier - "Les Suaires de Veronique", Rachel Edwards; Marguerite Duras - "La Mort du jeune aviateur anglais", James Williams; contemporary short French fiction - from the "nouvelle" to the "nouvellistique", Johnnie Gratton.



    John Flower is Professor of French, University of Kent at Canterbury. He is General Editor of the Journal of European Studies. His many publications include François Mauriac–Jean Paulhan: Correspondance, 1925–1967 (Paris, 2001); François Mauriac: Pyscholectures/Psychoreadings (University of Exeter Press, 1995); Pierre Courtade: The Making of a Party Scribe (Berg, 1995).