While Rousseau's writings paved the way for a literature of intimate education, they also gave shape to the stereotypical vision of the preceptor that dominated the French literary landscape until Stendhal.
In an age of slogans and elusive attention spans, the short sentence is a must. They click, hit and sell. And yet, some spaces resist. In the meanders of literature, language catches its breath.
Since Flaubert, love scenes in carriages have become a classic of French literature. Proust's use of this device to describe sexual relations shows both the interest and the limits of the famous fiacre scene.
Every month, our literary critic puts a work through a kaleidoscope, collecting the images it projects and reconstructing their diffractions. Even if the flashes of genius turn out to be shards of glass.
Chateaubriand no longer appeals to young people. Yet the political impact of his writings was considerable in the 19th century, so much so that he was long considered one of the beacons of rebellious youth. His style, which today is a little off-putting, had a lot to do with it.
Those who believe in Morand's black legend remember only his anti-Semitism, while those who are attached to his golden legend salute above all his cosmopolitanism. However, ignoring either of these two dimensions of his personality proves futile.
Popularized under the pseudonym L'Odieux Connard, Julien Hervieux claims the slogan «Qu'il est bon d'être mauvais!» ("It's good to be bad!"). In his new book, he dismantles with relish the greatest villains of all time.
Pauline Toulet delivers an eccentric first novel, critical of the literary world and centered on an eccentric character, more interested in marabouts than his time. But it failed to captivate me.
After reading Philippe Collin's «Le Barman du Ritz», walking past this Parisian hotel is no longer trivial. During the Occupation, Frank Meier, «the best bartender in the world», served under the laughter of the Nazis, in a contrasting theater of champagne and war.
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