Julian Barnes et la littérature française: de l'autobiographie à l'histoire littéraire, un voyage aller-retour
Julien Barnes and the French Literature

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses various aspects of Julian Barnes's relation to France, its culture and its literature. Firstly, Barnes's fascination with France can be viewed as part of his biography – therefore, some allusions to French culture in his work can simply be considered as autobiographical elements. Secondly, due to his specific treatment of documentary material and biographical data, Barnes's postmodernist novels (Flaubert's Parrot, Arthur and George) constitute an implicit hommage to French realist novelists and their narrative techniques. Furthermore, Barnes's intertextual allusions, accessible on various levels, can be considered as a didactic element par excellence. In conclusion, the article briefly discusses the novel The Noise of Time, in which Barnes adopts a different, much more selective approach to biographical material than in his previous works.

• Details
• Contents