L’objet chez Francis Ponge: D’une définition invariable au punctum barthésien
The Object in Francis Ponge: From an Invariable Definition to the Barthesian Punctum

Summary/Abstract: This study delves into one of Francis Ponge’s recurring creative battles—his struggle to accurately transpose an object’s quintessence into language. His poetic purpose, selecting the most ordinary of objects and pointing out their unique traits in a completely cold and detached manner, seems to be constantly undermined by an intense emotional response to the universe he is trying to describe. This oscillation causes an internal conflict: no description is accurate enough, because the poet can never truly hide his personal involvement. In order to identify not only an explainable cause for the poet’s words’ inability to do the object justice, but also a potential solution for this crisis, this article proposes a close comparison between Francis Ponge’s creation and Roland Barthes’ work in La chambre claire (1980), with a focus on two of its main concepts, the studium and the punctum. Underlining the common purpose of these two authors and how their path towards said goal takes, at times, a similar direction, this study highlights how interpreting some of Ponge’s objects through the lens of Barthes’ punctum could explain the poet’s difficulty in achieving his creative goals.

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