French Literature Reviews - 2026

C. Boré, Modalités de la fiction dans l'écriture scolaire
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

Review published in Acta Fabula: "School Drafts and Fictionalization" by Catherine d'Humières.

Catherine Boré, Modalités de la fiction dans l'écriture scolaire Preface by Frédéric François
Paris: L'Harmattan, coll. "Savoir et formation", 2010, 294 p.

• ISBN: 978-2-296-10839-4
• Price: 28 €

Publisher's overview:

Rooted in a dialogic approach to fiction, this book analyzes the mechanisms that shape how young pupils invent stories in primary and secondary schools. To do so, it traces the various developmental paths of the writing subject through rough drafts—the primary evidence of creation—examining how a fictional enunciative stance is constructed within them. Specific markers of dialogue with the "other"—such as assignment prompts, reported speech, and various connectors—are closely examined.
Drawing on multiple disciplines—literary theory and genetic criticism, linguistics, psychology, and didactics—this book will appeal to anyone interested in fictional writing in general, and to teachers and instructor-trainers in particular.

Contents:

FOREWORD
1. The Creative Power of Language: Humboldt, Saussure, Bally
Benveniste: The Connection Between Enunciation and Dialogue
2. Drafts, Manuscripts, Genetic Criticism
3. Writing, Traces, Deletions
4. "Fiction"? Some Clarifications Regarding the Object of Study
5. School Writing: The Choice of Corpus
6. Methodological Approach
7. Outline of the Book

P A R T I
T O W H O M D O E S F I C T I O N B E L O N G ?

Chapter 1
The Narrator in Question
Introduction
1. A General Framework: Narrative-Fictional
2. The Problem of Reference
3. Fiction: Narratology and Enunciation Theory
Conclusion of the Chapter

Chapter 2
The Child, Cognition, Culture
Introduction
1. Mimesis Revisited
2. Fiction and Reference
3. Shared Playful Pretending
Partial Conclusion and Discussion
4. Imagination in Children: P. Harris's Hypotheses
Conclusion of the Chapter
The Contribution of Cognitive and Cultural Theories: What Place for Language?

P A R T I I
T H E S U B J E C T P O L E

Chapter 3
School Setting and Modalities of Fiction
Introduction
1. School Models: A Flash Tour of a Core Exercise—The Composition
2. Content of Fictional Writing: Thematic Aspects
3. Fiction: School Situation, Genre, and Subject
4. The Prompt and Incipits, or "How to Begin?"
5. The "I" as Enunciator
6. A Typology of Fictional Modalities: Three Examples
Conclusion of the Chapter

Chapter 4
School Fiction Dialogue as the Engine of Invention
Introduction
1. Genetic Principles and the Linguistics of Enunciation
2. Dialogue and Dialogism
3. Three Categorizations of Dialogues for Inventing
Conclusion of the Chapter

P A R T I I I
T H E O B J E C T P O L E

Chapter 5
Coherence and Verisimilitude
Introduction
1. Discourse, Narrative, Image
2. Context
3. Issues and Problems

Chapter 6
An Example of Fictional Construction: Demonstrated Coherence
1. The Starting Point: Scenario by SA*** and H***
2. H***'s Successive Versions: An Analysis
3. Summary Tables
4. Complementary Tables
Conclusion of the Chapter

GENERAL CONCLUSION

APPENDIX I Presentation of Classroom Situations and Prompts
APPENDIX II H***'s Draft (Version 2)
BIBLIOGRAPHY

The study of writing practices in educational settings has long engaged researchers interested in how children acquire narrative competence and compositional skills. By examining rough drafts and manuscript traces, scholars in educational linguistics and genetic criticism seek to understand the cognitive and discursive operations underlying text production. This volume contributes to that broader pedagogical and theoretical inquiry by focusing specifically on the generation of stories within primary and secondary classrooms, observing how learners navigate institutional expectations while constructing an individual voice.

Rooted in a dialogic approach to fiction, the book analyzes the mechanisms that shape how young pupils invent stories in primary and secondary schools. It examines how a fictional enunciative stance is constructed within rough drafts, looking closely at markers of dialogue with the other such as assignment prompts and reported speech. Readers interested in fictional writing, literacy acquisition, and educational practices may find this volume relevant to their teaching and research.