French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Leclair, Verticalités de la littérature. Pour en finir avec le jugement critique
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics
Bertrand Leclair, Verticalités de la littérature. Pour en finir avec le "jugement" critique
Editions Champ Vallon, collection L'Esprit libre, 125 p
ISBN : 2-87673-423-0
EAN : 9782876734234
14 €
"If we are willing to admit that art is what allows the universe of our collective representations to breathe by infusing it with the oxygen of the real; if we are willing to admit that it has a vital function comparable to that of dreams in individual psychic life—that it is, in short, the dream of the world (in every sense of the word)—then we must acknowledge that Gauguin hit the mark when he described criticism not as the 'vigilant lookout' it ought to be, but as 'our censorship.'" Starting from the contemporary malaise in literary criticism, the initial aim was to write an article advocating for a "criticism of testimony" rather than of judgment. Yet it was still necessary to define what exactly is to be testified to. This is where the notion of "verticality" comes in. Drawing on Bachelard and Mallarmé as well as Proust, Kafka, Artaud, and Barthes, this concept evokes that which animates works of art and justifies our dedication to them (whether reading or writing), while exceeding them—something that can only be experienced, and certainly not measured, judged, or cataloged. This vertical dimension is all the more difficult to convey in the media landscape because our current "communicational universe" rejects it more and more each day.
An author of essays (L'Industrie de la consolation, Verticales, 1998) and fiction (Disparaître, Farrago, 2004), Bertrand Leclair has been a contributor to La Quinzaine littéraire since 1996, after having written for numerous newspapers, including InfoMatin and Les Inrockuptibles.
The volume addresses the contemporary malaise surrounding literary criticism and proposes an inquiry into the nature of critical engagement. Engaging with writers and thinkers such as Gaston Bachelard, Stéphane Mallarmé, Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, Antonin Artaud and Roland Barthes, the author examines what animates works of art and sustains our dedication to them. The discussion considers a mode of critical writing focused on testimony rather than evaluation, reflecting on how literary works exceed standard measures, judgments and categorizations.
These reflections engage with broader ongoing discussions about the role of criticism within contemporary media and cultural landscapes. Readers interested in contemporary French essays and debates on literary evaluation may find the volume relevant. The text situates its inquiry within the broader tradition of essayistic writing that questions the institutional and public reception of art, drawing on established references in modern French literature and philosophy.