French Literature Reviews - 2026
A.-C. Gignoux, La Récriture. Formes, enjeux, valeurs.
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics
Anne-Claire Gignoux
LA RÉCRITURE: FORMS, STAKES, AND VALUES
Presses de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne
Coll. "Études linguistiques", 2004
At a time when intertextual studies have proliferated over recent decades, sometimes heading in very different directions, how can rewriting (*la récriture*) be defined? Resulting from the creation of a new text based on a pre-existing text or fragment—through concrete, materially identifiable instances of rewriting—it defines itself as a very specific type of intertextual relationship. Stylistics, insofar as it allows for a material description of the formal conditions of literarity and the linguistic components meaningful to readers, struck us as the best possible approach.
Rewriting can be found throughout literature, particularly in modern works from Joyce to Borges; however, it flourishes especially within the *Nouveau Roman* (New Novel), enriched by the diversity of its authors. Through the analysis of numerous novels by Michel Butor, Marguerite Duras, Robert Pinget, and Claude Simon—and in the face of the inadequacy of most criteria used to define the group—the concept of rewriting helps establish the unity of the New Novelists. Beyond their stylistic variety, the principles of repetition-variation and collage unite all these writers into a single family. The prominence of repetitions, mises en abyme, and rewriting guarantees a shared sensibility, a common vision of writing, and a unified pursuit. Thus, the New Novel can be defined by this aesthetics of rewriting.
As demonstrated in the first part, rewriting relies on a cluster of formal repetitions embedded within the text itself. Through the study of several New Novels, three main types of rewriting are identified: rewriting others, self-rewriting within a single book, and self-rewriting applied across an author's entire body of work. The second part examines rewriting from a pragmatic perspective, analyzing the effects produced on the reader. This reveals how rewriting provides the New Novel with an exceptional tool for subverting traditional writing models. Consequently, it operates as a process of apposition and juxtaposition—a genuine labor within language capable of modifying, renewing, and regenerating the original text. One of its key stakes is to embed reflection on writing and reading directly into the text. Finally, it proves to be a fundamental constituent of literarity.
Anne-Claire Gignoux holds a doctorate in literature (*docteur ès lettres*) and is a *professeur agrégé*. She teaches stylistics at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne. Following her doctoral dissertation on rewriting in the New Novel, she continues her research in stylistics and musical semiotics.
Reviewer currently sought for *Acta Fabula*.
Rooted in the tradition of French stylistics and modern intertextual studies, this volume investigates how new literary works emerge from pre-existing texts. While intertextuality spans centuries of literature from James Joyce to Jorge Luis Borges, the author demonstrates that rewriting assumes a privileged role in twentieth-century avant-garde prose. By examining works through a rigorous linguistic and formal lens, the study bridges the gap between abstract literary theory and the concrete textual mechanisms that govern how authors transform prior sources.
The book will prove particularly valuable to scholars, graduate students, and researchers specializing in the French Nouveau Roman, narrative theory, and stylistics. It offers essential critical tools for analyzing the works of Michel Butor, Marguerite Duras, Robert Pinget, and Claude Simon, addressing central questions regarding literary creation, formal unity, and the self-reflexive nature of modern fiction.