French Literature Reviews - 2026
Alice Laumier, L'après-coup: Temporality of the Event and Critical Approaches to Trauma
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics
“Après-coup” is the French translation of the German term Nachträglichkeit, coined by Sigmund Freud at the very end of the 19the century. His hypothesis was as follows: the repressed memory of an initial experience may only be transformed into trauma “after the fact (nachträglich)” with the occurrence of a new event. The concept of après-coup thus allows us to conceptualize the temporal mismatch between an event and its meaning, its eventual comprehension, or its effects. Throughout the 20the century, this pioneering perspective on temporality and causality developed alongside other models, challenging them or providing a framework for their critique. It has engaged psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literature alike.
What is the relationship between literature and the idea of après-coup today? In what ways does Nachträglichkeit help us historicize and problematize the current paradigm of trauma? Seeking to address these questions, this volume examines texts by Nicole Caligaris, Annie Ernaux, Philippe Forest, Laurent Mauvignier, and Patrick Modiano, viewed as original reflections and poetics of après-coup. Furthermore, it traces the intertwined history of trauma and après-coup, offering an introduction to trauma studies, a rapidly expanding field with which it enters into a critical dialogue.
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You can read the introduction to the book on Fabula...
The concept of après-coup translates the Freudian notion of Nachträglichkeit, which proposes that an early memory can acquire traumatic significance only retroactively following a subsequent experience. This psychoanalytic model highlights a complex temporal mismatch between an occurrence and its eventual comprehension or psychological effect. Over the past century, this perspective has influenced various intellectual traditions, notably intersecting with philosophical inquiry and literary criticism. Within modern critical theory, temporal dislocation remains a central paradigm for understanding how subjects process historical events, memory, and personal narrative across different discursive fields.
Readers interested in contemporary French literature and trauma studies may find this volume relevant. The text engages with this field by examining works by writers such as Nicole Caligaris, Annie Ernaux, Philippe Forest, Laurent Mauvignier, and Patrick Modiano. These authors are viewed as original reflections and poetics of après-coup. Furthermore, the volume traces the intertwined history of trauma and après-coup, offering an introduction to trauma studies, a rapidly expanding field with which it enters into a critical dialogue.