French Literature Reviews - 2026
Anne Besson, From Asimov to Tolkien: Cycles and Series in Genre Literature
Novel and Narrative Prose
Two reviews of this work can be read in Acta Fabula:
Cycles et séries dans la littérature de genre, by Régis Poulet.
Transcendance du cycle by Samuel Minne.
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Joanne K. Rowling's Harry Potter, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings... Who today is unfamiliar with one of these successful multi-volume novelistic works flourishing within genre literature? Detective fiction, science fiction, fantasy—from the Hyperion Cantos to the L.A. Quartet and Foundation—all these genres fuel Anne Besson's inquiry.
A cycle, a series: how can we define and distinguish them? In the former, the totality of the volumes takes precedence, whereas in the latter, each volume is independent. The plot unfolds progressively in one, while it remains discontinuous in the other. To the reader's delight and the enrichment of literature, crossovers occur that playfully defy rigid constraints.
The reader's journey and experience, shaped by these formal characteristics, are also taken into account. From this perspective, chronology plays a decisive role with its network of echoes and foreshadowing: it offers an ideal mastery of time. At present, there is no work comparable to Anne Besson's: the books studied are well known and appreciated by a wide audience, yet they are too often neglected by academics. This pioneering study, which will appeal equally to general enthusiasts and open-minded, curious readers, successfully combines academic rigor with a refreshing approach to literature.
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Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART I: The Novelistic Cycle: Definition and Characteristics
CHAPTER I: Cycle and Series: Types of Sets
Cycle and Series: Definitions
Common Ground: One and the same objective—to attract and retain an audience
Differentiation: A proposed classification of novelistic sets
Cycle and Series: Media of Appearance
Sets and Genres
Sets in Other Media
CHAPTER II: Unity and Discontinuity: Defining Criteria of the Novelistic Cycle
Unity
Paratext as a Signal of Cyclic Unity
The Dual Level of Plot
Proper Nouns and the Return of the Character
Textual Links Between Volumes: Analepses and Prolepses
How to Define the Set?
Discontinuity
The Succession of Volumes: Relative Autonomy
The Production of Sequels
Openness
Short Sets?
The Variety of Cycles
Tendency Toward Expansion
PART II: The Cycle and the Passage of Time
CHAPTER III: The Chronology of the Set and Its Reception
The Chronology of the Cycle
Borrowings from Historical Reality
Chronology as a Manifestation of the Passage of Time
Chronological Liberties: Difficulties and Inconsistencies
The Reception of the Cycle
Different Reading Possibilities
Repetition and Suspense: A Strategy for Building Loyalty
The Cycle as Balance
CHAPTER IV: The Theme of Time and Memory
The Individual and Memory
Memory of the Character and the Reader
The Theme of Amnesia
The Theme of Memory: Disorders and Difficulties
Society and Historical Time
The Calendar
The Succession of Generations
Archives and Documents
Civilizations and Legends
The Eternal Return
The Mythology of the Cycle
The Cycle as Mythology
CONCLUSION: Why the Cycle?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Corpus of Studied Works
Other Cited Novelistic Works
Critical Studies
SHORT FRENCH-ENGLISH GLOSSARY OF EPISODIC FORMS
INDEX OF AUTHORS AND WORKS IN THE CORPUS
Anne Besson examines the defining structures of multi-volume works in popular literature, focusing on the distinction between the organic novelistic cycle, where the overarching totality takes precedence, and the series, in which individual volumes remain largely independent. Drawing on prominent examples such as J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Isaac Asimov's Foundation, and Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos, the study investigates how these forms shape the reader's experience, balance narrative continuity with discontinuity, and manage chronology through echoes, foreshadowing, and intricate webs of memory.
This pioneering academic inquiry bridges the gap between widely appreciated genre fiction and formal literary analysis, offering valuable insights for scholars, enthusiasts, and readers interested in narrative theory. By addressing the commercial and artistic strategies behind recurring characters, expanded universes, and sequential storytelling, the work provides a robust framework for understanding how modern narrative sets function across different media and cultural contexts, illuminating the enduring appeal of epic storytelling and serial publication.