ON THE ROAD EN FRANCE : L’ART DE SE PERDRE EN AUTO-STOP AVEC SYLVAIN PRUDHOMME
ON THE ROAD IN FRANCE: THE ART OF LOSING YOURSELF WHILE HITCHHIKING WITH SYLVAIN PRUDHOMME

Summary/Abstract: The road novel is inspired by the picaresque novel and the Bildungsroman. However, the German researcher Špela Virant notes that instead of contributing to the building of the protagonist’s identity, the road novel which emerges in the postmodern era rather encourages the dissolution of the subject’s identity. This can also be seen in the novel Par les routes by Sylvain Prudhomme. Here, tough, we are concerned with the progression of the subject’s dissolution, focusing mainly on the factors that play a fundamental role in it. Our purpose is therefore to portray the dissolution of the hitchhiker’s identity throughout the novel. The analysis showed that the road, the car and hitchhiking as well as the touristic character of the hitchhiker’s travels are responsible for the dissolution of his identity. Hence, our analysis supports Virant’s observation concerning the deconstructive character of the road novel.

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