Dulaurens et son æuvre by Michèle Bokobza-Kahan (review)

Literary, History and Criticism edited by Marion Geiger BERNARD, CLAUDIE, CHANTAL MASSOL, et JEAN-MARIE ROULIN, éd. Adelphiques: sœurs et frères dans la littérature du XIXe siècle. Paris: Kimé, 2010. ISBN 978-2-84174527 -2. Pp. 397. 31 a. Adelphiques combines nineteen papers presented at two conferences that explore representations of fraternal and/or sororal relations in works of literature from Stendhal to Proust. It is fair to ask whether this broad topic, which brought together diverse scholars and subjects at the conferences, translates well into book form: does the reader gain a coherent understanding about sibling relations, either as a social or literary phenomenon, from the early nineteenth through the early twentieth century? Linking these wide-ranging essays, according to the editors ’ introduction, is the general premise that something fundamental changed in the relationship between siblings (real or figurative) as a result of the French Revolution: with the overthrow of patriarchal Ancien Régime authorities, fraternité became a new way to think about family, politics, and society. This topic is treated in depth elsewhere: Lynn Hunt’s The Family Romance of the French Revolution (FR 66.5); Claudie Bernard’s Penser la famille au XIXe siècle (FR 84.2). In Adelphiques, the premise is mostly taken for granted, as each essayist explores themes of sibling relationships in the work or life of authors such as Balzac, Sand, DesbordesValmore , Nerval, and Zola. There are essays well worth reading: Xavier Bourdonnet ’s skillfully analyzes Balzac’s Illusions perdues through the dynamic between Lucien and Ève; Claudie Bernard elegantly compares fictional and actual brotherly partnerships in her reading of Les frères Zemganno, written by Edmond Goncourt after the death of Jules; Damien Zanone reminds readers of George Sand’s halfforgotten half-siblings and their role in the carefully constructed narrative, Histoire de ma vie. Jean-Marie Roulin brings to light interesting parallels between Musset and Sand in their fictional treatment of the cultural phenomenon of sœurs et frères de lait—an issue that resonates with some of the other essays (Julia Pryzbos on parenté de lait; Gisèle Séginger on Musset; Zanone on Sand). Indeed, numerous contributors address a common author or similar themes (Christine Planté and Evelyne Ender both highlight the absence or marginalization of sisters in republican fraternité), though without referring to one another. One would like to see more coordination or cross-citation among the essays, as Nicholas White’s piece does in fact do. Absent intra-textual references or synthesis, Adelphiques remains a collection of isolated insights; readers may find it more useful to choose essays that coincide with their own interests rather than read the volume coverto -cover. Widener University (PA) Kate M. Bonin BOKOBZA-KAHAN, MICHÈLE. Dulaurens et son œuvre. Paris: Champion, 2010. ISBN 978-2-7453-1949-4. Pp. 250. 50 a. Bokobza-Kahan presents an analysis of the writings of a defrocked monk who was on the fringes of the Enlightenment. Because of his subversive anticlericalism, Reviews 175 he spent his last years in a German prison. By this loss of his personal freedom, he made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of intellectual freedom. He was looked upon by his contemporaries as a marginal writer, a “philosophe gueux,” and he made of this position as a social and intellectual outcast the central facet of his selfimage , portraying himself as an outsider, not only to the religious and political establishment but even to the philosophes. As such, he came to criticize any form of authoritarianism imposed on the human spirit, any pretense to the attainment of absolute truth. He satirized the arrogance of Rousseau and other philosophes as much as the tyranny of the monarchy and the obscurantism of the church. He was also self-critical, using devices in his writings to undercut his own authorial stature and the validity of the ideas he was presenting. He created a carnivalesque atmosphere like that in Rabelais, as described by Bakhtin, where the world is turned upside down and the reader is continually made aware of the complexities and ambiguities of human life. Henri-Joseph Dulaurens (1719–93) was the author of narrative poems and prose...