Cette étude porte sur la représentation de la « patience » – considérée comme un mode d’être dans le temps et face à l’Autre à la fois actif et passif – dans quelques œuvres modernes, notamment les écrits philosophiques de Friedrich Nietzsche, les romans Bouvard et Pécuchet et La tentation de saint Antoine de Gustave Flaubert, À la recherche du temps perdu de Marcel Proust et la poésie de Francis Ponge. Dans le premier chapitre, nous nous référons à la pensée de Nietzsche pour bien décrire le contexte moderne qui fait que la vertu de la patience est aussi pertinente à la fin du XIXe siècle et pendant le XXe siècle qu’elle ne l’était pour des penseurs de l’Antiquité gréco-romaine comme Épicure et Sénèque. Dans des œuvres comme La généalogie de la morale et Par-delà bien et mal, Nietzsche montre que ce qu’on considère comme la vertu de la patience se réduit souvent à une simple incapacité d’agir et que les temps modernes exigent un autre type de vertu, une patience renouvelée et affirmative. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous analysons les thèmes de l’accompagnement et du dévouement dans deux romans flaubertiens afin de déterminer dans quelle mesure il est nécessaire de se retirer du monde et de ses rythmes pour pouvoir se consacrer à quelque chose qui transcende l’individu et ses désirs particuliers. Nous continuons cette réflexion dans le chapitre sur le roman proustien, où l’on peut suivre la trajectoire d’un héros-narrateur impatient d’être aimé et de remplir sa vocation en devenant écrivain. Notre examen de différentes formes de la patience est complétée par une critique du rapport problématique du poète (Ponge) et des objets de ses poèmes, en particulier les animaux qu’il sacrifie au nom de son art. Un schéma fondamental se dessine à travers toutes ces œuvres et les figures de la patience qu’elles véhiculent : le sujet humain, désireux de se rapprocher de l’Autre, sait que, pour ce faire, il faut le laisser être, mais il a aussi besoin de s’affirmer soi-même, d’où une certaine aporie. La patience se révèle comme une réponse possible à ce problème.

La tesi analizza il lirismo melanconico di Gianni Celati nella sua produzione narrative e documentaristica che spazia in un arco di temporale che va dagli anni Ottanta ai giorni nostri. In queste opere, di ambientazione prevalentemente padana, l’autore utilizza, con notevole maestria, immagini e brevi impressioni altamente evocative, in modo tale da lasciar trasparire le proprie emozioni. Con questa operazione egli aspira a ridurre al minimo l’affiorare della propria soggettività come dimostra il largo impiego di dettagliate descrizioni, in cui abbondano simboli e metafore, riconducibili a oggetti, paesaggi e persone che sono oggetto della sua osservazione. Nel primo capitolo si mostra come, fin dalle prime fasi della sua carriera di scrittore e di studioso, Celati si serve della scrittura come strumento terapeutico, al fine di alleviare l’inquietudine con cui convive da sempre. Del resto, lo conferma la presenza nelle sue opere di modalità espressive tipiche del genere della caricatura. Nell’ambito di questo discorso si fa riferimento al pensiero del filosofo e psicanalista americano James Hillman, come, ad esempio, alla sua idea di poiesis relativa alla tendenza della nostra mente a produrre immagini come avviene nell’atto narrativo e avente su di noi analoghi effetti terapeutici. Alla luce di ciò, sono state esaminate alcune delle traduzioni poetiche compiute da Celati, mettendole in parallelo ad una selezione di sue poesie e racconti. Il secondo capitolo è volto ad indagare le modalità con cui Celati ha trattato il tema tradizionale del viaggio. Si mostra come i suoi vagabondaggi e quelli dei suoi personaggi non siano altro che una metafora della vana ricerca del senso da attribuire alla loro esistenza. Nella trattazione di questo aspetto la narrativa celatiana viene messa a confronto con l’arte di Alberto Giacometti e di Mario Sironi, che hanno trattato i temi della solitudine e dello smarrimento esistenziale. Analogo è il senso di desolazione che affiora dai documentari girati da Celati, servendosi delle immagini per svolgere un’indagine su come percepiamo il modo esterno. Tale approccio è riconducibile all’influsso che la fotografia del suo amico Luigi Ghirri ha esercitato sull’opera celatiana. Quest’ultimo si è a sua volta ispirato a quella di Cesare Zavattini, che costituisce un punto di riferimento fondamentale anche per Celati. Questo aspetto è stato approfondito nell’ultima sezione del secondo ed ultimo capitolo, incentrata sull’analisi del racconto “Non c’è più paradiso”, da cui emerge l’importanza che Celati, come Zavattini, attribuisce all’immaginazione e alla narrazione come componenti essenziali alla nostra esistenza.

This dissertation regards the medieval French literary tradition’s presence in Northern Italy in the late Middle Ages. This phenomenon produced a corpus of texts copied or composed by Northern Italian scribes and authors in the French language. The Italian authors’ command of French verse was, in some cases, imperfect; in others, they consciously manipulated the French language for creative purposes. Whatever the case, what resulted was a body of work ostensibly written in French but with a distinctly Northern Italian flavour. Every work within this corpus presents unique linguistic features and a distinct blend of French and Northern Italian vernaculars. This cultural phenomenon, which is commonly referred to as “Franco-Italian,” was no doubt born from the linguistic proximity of the Northern Italian vernaculars to the languages of France in the late Middle Ages: absent an autochthonous Italian literary tradition, Northern Italian literati adapted the languages of France, which had already developed vernacular literary traditions, as a means for their own literary expression. Northern Italy constituted, in this sense, a peripheral region of a medieval “Francophonie.” This dissertation first surveys the nature and function of the Franco-Italian “language” and then presents a critical historiography of the scholarship surrounding the most important manuscript collection of French and Franco-Italian works in Italy, that of the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice. This includes a discussion of all known catalogues and inventories of the corpus dating back to 1407 and an analysis of two others, until now largely unstudied, that shed new light on the history of the collection. What follows is an investigation into one little-known manuscript in the collection, Codex XIV, which recounts the adventures of Beuve de Hanstone. Codex XIV is unique in the collection insofar as it was not written in the hybrid Franco-Italian idiom, rather a pure Old French; consequently, it has received little attention from scholars. This dissertation revisits the text and its importance in the study of the influence of French literature in medieval Italy. The dissertation concludes with a series of appendices that display and compare unpublished inventories of the collection that support the arguments advanced herein.

This dissertation regards the medieval French literary tradition’s presence in Northern Italy in the late Middle Ages. This phenomenon produced a corpus of texts copied or composed by Northern Italian scribes and authors in the French language. The Italian authors’ command of French verse was, in some cases, imperfect; in others, they consciously manipulated the French language for creative purposes. Whatever the case, what resulted was a body of work ostensibly written in French but with a distinctly Northern Italian flavour. Every work within this corpus presents unique linguistic features and a distinct blend of French and Northern Italian vernaculars. This cultural phenomenon, which is commonly referred to as “Franco-Italian,” was no doubt born from the linguistic proximity of the Northern Italian vernaculars to the languages of France in the late Middle Ages: absent an autochthonous Italian literary tradition, Northern Italian literati adapted the languages of France, which had already developed vernacular literary traditions, as a means for their own literary expression. Northern Italy constituted, in this sense, a peripheral region of a medieval “Francophonie.” This dissertation first surveys the nature and function of the Franco-Italian “language” and then presents a critical historiography of the scholarship surrounding the most important manuscript collection of French and Franco-Italian works in Italy, that of the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice. This includes a discussion of all known catalogues and inventories of the corpus dating back to 1407 and an analysis of two others, until now largely unstudied, that shed new light on the history of the collection. What follows is an investigation into one little-known manuscript in the collection, Codex XIV, which recounts the adventures of Beuve de Hanstone. Codex XIV is unique in the collection insofar as it was not written in the hybrid Franco-Italian idiom, rather a pure Old French; consequently, it has received little attention from scholars. This dissertation revisits the text and its importance in the study of the influence of French literature in medieval Italy. The dissertation concludes with a series of appendices that display and compare unpublished inventories of the collection that support the arguments advanced herein.

Cette thèse analyse la représentation de sujets désirants féminins dans cinq œuvres contemporaines. La question est abordée dans une perspective féministe et puise des outils théoriques tant du côté de la psychanalyse (Freud, Lacan) que de ses critiques (Deleuze et Guattari, Cixous, Irigaray). Nous faisons appel à la rhétorique pour l’analyse de figures du discours, et examinons comment les sujets et objets grammaticaux correspondent à une répartition des rôles entre sujets désirants et objets désirés. À la suite du chapitre explicitant nos approches théoriques se trouvent cinq chapitres s’appliquant à l’analyse d’une œuvre littéraire. Notre étude sur Folle (2004) de Nelly Arcan explore la posture masochiste construite par la narratrice, grâce à laquelle elle parvient à se représenter simultanément comme l’objet passif du désir masculin et comme un sujet désirant manipulateur. La vie sexuelle de Catherine M. (2001) de Catherine Millet nous a intéressée par l’investissement d’une posture de soumission au désir masculin qui demeure agente et investie de maîtrise. L’analyse de Se perdre (2001) d’Annie Ernaux étudie la configuration du désir ambiguë causée par la passion, où la narratrice se montre à la fois soumise et dominante par rapport à l’amant. Le chapitre sur Baroque d’aube (1995) de Nicole Brossard examine la construction de sujets lesbiens qui ne posent pas leur attirance en tant que désir du même, mais qui encouragent plutôt le déploiement d’une identité féminine plurielle. Enfin, notre étude de La nouvelle pornographie (2000) de Marie Nimier s’attache à la réécriture parodique de la pornographie, démontrant de quelles façons celle-ci permet à la narratrice de critiquer un discours masculin sur le désir et d’en proposer de nouvelles formulations. Au fil de ces analyses, nous interrogeons, à travers la question du désir, les configurations contemporaines du genre sexuel et de la sexualité.

Cette thèse analyse la représentation de sujets désirants féminins dans cinq œuvres contemporaines. La question est abordée dans une perspective féministe et puise des outils théoriques tant du côté de la psychanalyse (Freud, Lacan) que de ses critiques (Deleuze et Guattari, Cixous, Irigaray). Nous faisons appel à la rhétorique pour l’analyse de figures du discours, et examinons comment les sujets et objets grammaticaux correspondent à une répartition des rôles entre sujets désirants et objets désirés. À la suite du chapitre explicitant nos approches théoriques se trouvent cinq chapitres s’appliquant à l’analyse d’une œuvre littéraire. Notre étude sur Folle (2004) de Nelly Arcan explore la posture masochiste construite par la narratrice, grâce à laquelle elle parvient à se représenter simultanément comme l’objet passif du désir masculin et comme un sujet désirant manipulateur. La vie sexuelle de Catherine M. (2001) de Catherine Millet nous a intéressée par l’investissement d’une posture de soumission au désir masculin qui demeure agente et investie de maîtrise. L’analyse de Se perdre (2001) d’Annie Ernaux étudie la configuration du désir ambiguë causée par la passion, où la narratrice se montre à la fois soumise et dominante par rapport à l’amant. Le chapitre sur Baroque d’aube (1995) de Nicole Brossard examine la construction de sujets lesbiens qui ne posent pas leur attirance en tant que désir du même, mais qui encouragent plutôt le déploiement d’une identité féminine plurielle. Enfin, notre étude de La nouvelle pornographie (2000) de Marie Nimier s’attache à la réécriture parodique de la pornographie, démontrant de quelles façons celle-ci permet à la narratrice de critiquer un discours masculin sur le désir et d’en proposer de nouvelles formulations. Au fil de ces analyses, nous interrogeons, à travers la question du désir, les configurations contemporaines du genre sexuel et de la sexualité.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.