French Literature Reviews - 2026
C. Cornillon, Seriality and Transmediality. The Infinity of Contemporary Fictions
Comparative and World Literature
Claire Cornillon
Seriality and Transmediality. The Infinity of Contemporary Fictions
Honoré Champion, "Bibliothèque de littérature générale et comparée" series
EAN13 : 9782745349200
188 p.
35 €
OVERVIEW
Seriality and transmediality are two fundamental facets of contemporary fiction that continually push beyond the boundaries of forms, genres, and mediums. This study rethinks traditional categories of literary theory in light of these phenomena, analyzing their inherent paradoxes while shedding light on the role of fiction in the contemporary world. The proliferation of narratives, the bridges built between different media, and the active engagement of audiences open up creative possibilities that works of art have only just begun to explore.
At the same time, these objects—along with the discourse surrounding them and the doxa taking shape in the collective imagination—reveal more or less explicit ideological dynamics. Consequently, aesthetic concerns intersect with philosophical and political stakes, such as our relationship with truth, the definition of reality, and the question of freedom.
CLAIRE CORNILLON
Claire Cornillon is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Nîmes. Her recent research focuses primarily on narrative and fiction, with a particular emphasis on television series. She co-directed the project Serial Narrations and Transmediality at Sorbonne Nouvelle University – Paris 3 and is a member of the GUEST research group (University Group for Television Series Studies). She co-edited the volumes Fin(s) du monde (Pendragon, 2013) and Ce que le récit ne dit pas (Presses Universitaires François Rabelais, 2015).
Seriality and transmediality are key aspects of those contemporary fictions that cross the borders of forms, genres and formats. The aim here is to analyze the paradoxes of such works, highlight the place of fiction in today’s world, and show that these aesthetic issues have philosophical, political and ideological implications.
The study of serial and transmedial storytelling belongs to a broad field of comparative literature and media studies that examines how narratives migrate across platforms and unfold across multiple installments. As contemporary cultural production increasingly relies on expansive narrative universes and audience participation, traditional critical categories must be rethought to account for works that resist confinement to a single medium. Scholars in these areas frequently investigate the mechanics of narrative proliferation and the ways serialized formats shape collective engagement, linking formal experimentation with broader shifts in cultural consumption.
Readers interested in contemporary narrative theory, media transitions, and the intersections between aesthetic forms and ideological discourse may find this volume relevant. Claire Cornillon analyzes the paradoxes inherent in serialized and transmedial works, highlighting the role of modern fiction and demonstrating how these formal practices intersect with questions of truth, reality, and freedom. The discussion directly addresses the ideological dynamics present in both the works themselves and the surrounding critical discourse, positioning contemporary artistic creation within a wider philosophical and political framework.