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Constructive criticism: The poetics of space and enclosure in selected novels of Raymond Queneau
Abstract
The manifestations of structure and form in the works of Raymond Queneau have long been a subject for critical inquiry. Structure and the space of which it makes use, however, are not just external forces or constraints that act upon the literary artifact. Gaston Bachelard suggests that space offers its own poetics independently of the structural considerations inherent in a work's external form. In the interest of exploring these poetics, therefore, I have focused this study upon the nature of portrayed space in five specific novels. As I examine Le Chiendent (1933), Pierrot mon ami (1942), Loin de Rueil (1944), and On est toujours trop bon avec les femmes (1947), I concentrate first on how Queneau constructs their individual settings in general, and how he leads the reader to perceive them through the characters' senses. I then try to establish a relationship between these settings and some of the novel's more specific and important structural elements, which is to say, certain individual structures that comprise these settings. My intention in highlighting each aspect separately is to show how they can function both literally and figuratively within the context of the plot, as well as within the larger framework of the writer's œuvre. In addition, I attempt to illustrate how the author's portrayal of setting evolves from one novel to the next while still retaining elements of generality and specificity I identified in Le Chiendent. The study concludes with an examination of Saint Glinglin (1948), whose composition, revision, and ultimate publication took place during the same period as the first four novels. By identifying the characteristics in this novel and its primitive components Gueule de pierre and Temps mêlés, I confirm the link between the role of structure and form and the portrayal of space in his narratives, as well as verify the continuity in Queneau's portrayal of space and place in his novels.
Subject Area
Romance literature
Recommended Citation
Mann, Douglas Brian, "Constructive criticism: The poetics of space and enclosure in selected novels of Raymond Queneau" (1999). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9942138.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9942138