La contrainte selon l’Oulipo : anomalie de définition ou stratégie de légitimation
The Oulipian Constraint: Anomalous Definition or Strategy of Legitimation?

Summary/Abstract: The concept of “constraint” is central to Oulipo’s work, yet the group has introduced this term into modern literary criticism without providing a consistent definition. The resulting ambiguitiescreate challenges for researchers studying Oulipian constraints.This paper reviews Oulipo’s attempts to theorize constraintand legitimize its literature, examining these efforts through the lensof the group’s struggle for literary legitimacy. Indeed, the conceptof constraint represents not only Oulipo’s poetic uniqueness, but alsoan important tool for the group to legitimize itself and gain powerwithin the literary field. This paper argues that “constraint” has served as both an expression of Oulipo’s aesthetic singularity and a strategiclever in its bid for legitimacy.

• Details
• Contents