Les Grandes Notions littéraires (review)

Joël Loehr’s slim volume boldly promises to tackle both the ‘grandes notions littéraires’ and the questions they raise. Each concept is allocated a chapter in which Loehr traces its historical development and discusses the subsequent scholarly implications. Practical examples are given from throughout the French literary canon, with an emphasis on the writings of André Malraux, on whom the author has previously published. The first chapter provides a genealogical overview of literary authorship, lucidly demonstrating how it emerged following the ‘authorless’ texts of antiquity before being called into question during the latter half of the twentieth century. The death of the author’s supposed empowerment of the reader is examined in the second chapter. Loehr demonstrates how various literary epochs have manipulated the reading subject and suggests how reading has become increasingly viewed as an active process. As the author notes in his brief introduction, the work’s broad ambition means some simplification is inevitable, even if this is frustrating on occasion: ‘Admettons qu’il y a des vides et des espaces libres dans un texte’ (p. 42). An examination of how characters mediate the relationship between author and reader forms the third chapter, with Loehr following the trajectory from creation to deconstruction and partial resurrection. A consideration of literary reality comprises the fourth chapter, which considers how texts negotiate the borders between fact and fiction. Loehr again argues there has been a key shift over time ‘de la représentation à la répétition’ (p. 89), reflecting a breakdown of linear narrative towards an increasing self-referentialilty. This leads to a consideration of whether literature has ‘devenue à la fois complètement narcissique et totalement autarcique’ (p. 96). Finally, genre is considered at the crossroads of authorial intention and reader expectation, before the assertion that literary boundaries are in a state of ‘révolution permanente’ (p. 120). Given its broad scope, the work is best suited as an introduction for the curious undergraduate keen for a lucid consideration of key literary concepts. This raises the question of whether those looking for a primer in literary theory would be better served by approaching the primary sources included in the work’s end-of-chapter bibliographies, or starting with a more established work. Loehr’s text does, however, have aspirations beyond that of a ‘Que sais-je?’ guide. It is here that the text risks wrong-footing readers looking for a concise starting point. While the text’s overview of theory is generally helpful, it is framed with quotations from the resolutely anti-theoretical Maurice Blanchot suggesting that literature should not be categorized using alien concepts. Naturally, such a viewpoint risks undermining the ideas introduced throughout the work. Ultimately, Loehr’s volume lacks a convincing argument and avoids proposing a view of how the notion of literature itself should be approached, instead concluding limply that ‘la critique s’est réinventée depuis la fin du siècle dernier, et [. . .] elle se réinvente toujours, comme la littérature elle-même’ (p. 126). While many questions are raised in this concise volume, few answers are proffered.