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ABSTRACTS

William Dickson (University of Glasgow)
Roots and routes: the Ecole de Brive and the contemporary novel as a “lieu de mémoire”

It is a common place to see the novel as reflecting the interest and events of the period in which it is written and to read Balzac and Zola for example as illustrations of social change at different times in the 19th century. Similarily, certain 20th century authors are seen as illustrating contemporary problems and issues, many of which are linked to a feeling of loss of identity and rootlessness in the city and the banlieue.
Although Paris was the central focus for most of the 19th and 20th century, there has always been the counter attraction of the provinces (la province). In particular, the writers of the (loosely termed) Ecole de Brive (Bordes, Michelet, Muller, Peyramaure, Signol, SOUmy and Viollier in particular), together with other writers from the South, set the problem in terms of the provinces, an identity rooted in the country and the past, often in terms of the Third Republic, but perceived as relenant to present day preoccupations both in terms of the nation and the move in the city.
Using the concept of roots and routes, this paper will look at certain themes of identity and memory in the novels of this cery successful group, focusing on:

  • the need to leave the land and and seek work in the city (Paris or Lyon) and the consequent loss of identity in following the route to the city.
  • the role of education and military service in creating ideas of social progress and nationhood, simultaneously lessening attachment to a distinct social class and area and creating new or attenuated links (see Tillinac).
  • the desertification of the countryside and the concept of ‘la France profonde’, of local roots and its importance for ‘culture’ and politics.
  • The perception of Paris and politics from the provinces.
The influence of such novel, in which are not considered to be ‘historical’ as such by the authors, is that by treating such themes from a regional point of view, they reinforce a sense of identity (la France profonde) and place feelings of national identity (and views of Paris) in a different perspective. Ultimately, this creates a parallel ‘lieu de mémoire’ which locally or in the ‘imagination populaire’ (reinforced by series and films for television based on the novels) replaces the standard history textbook and provides strong links between past and present.

(Roots/routes is a concept taken from the Lebanese author, Amin Malouf.


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