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This thesis constitutes an analysis of Raymond Queneaus' reflections on the <I>métier d'écrire</I> and his fictionalisation of it throughout the 1930s. Its dual objective is to re-evaluate the set of cultural influences and issues which affected Raymond Queneau, and to highlight the myths and rationalisations related to writing both as an art form and as a profession which inform his early fiction and criticism. The writer's vocation is a central theme in Queneau's early fiction, and the handling of this theme reflects on key literary and social issues of the period, such as the reshuffling of the hierarchy of the literary genres, the role of the avant-garde and the fear of decadence. A sustained discussion of the collection of articles <I>Le Voyage en Gréce</I> underscores the relationship between his polemical strategies and the debate over the Romantic inheritance, and shows how Queneau, very much an outsider in the Parisian élite, approached the competition for intellectual authority. The firm and univocal pronouncements on literature, poetry, and the place of the writer in society which are found in <I>Le Voyage en Gréce</I> are then examined in the context of the ambiguous and ironical images contained in the fiction. Caught up in both the major and the mundane intellectual crises of his times, Queneau engaged in an indirect dialogue with the main role-models of his generation, Paul Valéry and André Gide. The thesis therefore examines the extent to which (and the ways in which) Queneau's early works provide a "portrait of the artist as a young man" which has both historical and literary interest.

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<i>L'Exil et le royaume</i> has been seen as a marginal work undertaken in preparation for another novel. However, the <i>nouvelle</i> makes specific demands, which I examine in Chapter 1, and use as a basis for analysis of Camus's narrative strategies in the stories, to argue that the <i>nouvelles</i> are richer, more personal, more complex, and better crafted than has previously been acknowledged. In Chapter 2, I argue that Camus's third-person narrative in 'La Femme adultée' filters all information through the consciousness of the female protagonist. Temporal effects, sense impressions and <i>style indirect libre</i> remove obstacles to the reader's participation, and lyrical language conveys an otherwise inexpressible experience. In Chapter 3, I argue that autobiographical material dispels some of the mystery of 'Le Renéat'. Imprisoning the reader in the protagonist's mind, the dialogic first-person narrative creates tension and, supported by the temporal structure, repeatedly draws the reader back to an anguished present. Chapter 4 shows Camus exploring the consciousness of an inarticulate worker to treat the theme 'solidaire/solitaire'. Using images of light, liquid, and enclosure, he moves beyond the particular to a universal view of solidarity. The problem is pursued in Chapter 5 ('L'H^ote') where focalization, dialogue and paralinguistic elements mark the difficulty of cross-cultural communication. Camus's exploration of universal solidarity goes beyond conflicting loyalties to probe questions of responsibility. Chapter 6 discusses Camus's use of the <i>conte</i>. Ironic and humorous, the <i>conte</i> proves inadequate to promote sympathy for the artist/writer. Camus therefore changes tack, attenuating the irony and providing greater emotional impact. Chapter 7 shows Camus drawing together the themes of preceding stories in a positive conclusion. Imagery developed from <i>La Chute</i> suggests that commitment and solidarity provide access to the 'kingdom'. However, I argue that the subtext poses problems which are never satisfactorily resolved.

This study does not take the view that only the strictly 'aesthetic' is relevant to the subject, for that leads to the denial of justice to Rousseau (e.g. Folkierski), and it does not, except in a limited way in the last three chapters, pursue Rousseau's 'aesthetics' in the sense of his creative practice. The assumption that such practice faithfully reflects theory begs more questions than there is space for here. Besides, the subject of Rousseau's literary creativity has been in large measure dealt with, in excellent fashion, by Lecercle. My aim is to provide a general description of Rousseau's teaching concerning the arts: theatre (including opera and ballet), music, visual arts, fiction and poetry, and to do so in such a way that each art can be easily identified and referred to. I present Rousseau's doctrine in terms of his biographical and intellectual development and with sufficient attention to historical background to bring out the chief features which make him different and important. The presentation of the development of his doctrine is related closely to that of his 'system'. Part I traces Rousseau's early career to 1749. One chapter discusses music and a second his experience of Parisian cultured society. Part II (seven chapters) traces his critique of that society in so far as it concerns all the major liberal arts but fiction. Part III (eight chapters) outlines his perspectives of the future for those activities which underlie the institutionalised arts: dance in the civic fete; the creativity of the growing Emile; the exercise of taste as part of the ideal of wisdom. The future of fiction and of music are considered specifically. The guiding principle of all these perspectives is seen to be the ordering of imagination. Part IV indicates the 'limits of doctrine' and sets the boundary of the enquiry: the discourse of Julie, Pygmalion and the autobiographical texts becomes progressively less doctrinal and increasingly exemplifies a function of the written word which is not articulated in Rousseau's explicit theory. These texts are explored only in so far as they make statements with these new doctrinal implications. These implications, which are seen to have roots in certain of the paradoxes of the doctrine proper, call the doctrine into question by evoking an aesthetic of authorial expression.