French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Dhifaoui, Le Roman épistolaire et son péritexte
Novel and Narrative Prose

Review published in Acta Fabula: "The Peritext, or the Cunning Slave" by Laure Depretto.

Le Roman épistolaire et son péritexte

Arbi Dhifaoui

Preface by Jan Herman

Tunis: Centre de publication universitaire, 2008.

Arbi Dhifaoui is an alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Tunis. An assistant professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Kairouan, his research focuses primarily on the novelistic genre and its paratext.

Arbi Dhifaoui focuses his scholarly work on the mechanics of the novel and its surrounding paratextual elements, offering a detailed examination of how framing devices influence meaning in epistolary fiction. With a preface by Jan Herman, this study contributes to ongoing discussions in narrative theory and genre analysis. The research builds upon established traditions in French literary scholarship, investigating the thresholds of the text where authorial intent and reader reception intersect in significant ways.

This volume will prove particularly useful for researchers, graduate students, and scholars interested in the evolution of the epistolary genre and narrative poetics. By analyzing the peripheral elements that accompany these novels, the book helps address broader questions about narrative framing, textual authority, and structural conventions in prose fiction. It serves as a valuable resource for those exploring the intricate relationship between a literary work and its accompanying material.