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Considered as a whole, the seven novels written by Frank Norris contain enough of naturalism to justify classifying him as a naturalist. His failure to fully comprehend the implications of the naturalistic philosophy results in both strengths and weaknesses. He fails in The Octopus to maintain the objective point of view that the naturalists set for themselves, and a looseness of conception and a diffuseness of effect result. By allowing the ranchers freedom of choice in the matter of the means to be employed against the railroad, he achieves something very close to tragedy. Vandover, too, has a choice, and the novel suffers as a study in determinism, but Vandover becomes a more interesting character than he would have been without will.

The succeeding chapters of this thesis are concerned with Carson McCullers' method of handling the Gothic. Their purpose is to describe the modern Gothic elements in McCullers' first three novels: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941), The Member of the Wedding (1946) and in her novella: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1943).

Edith Wharton structured her novels using a technique that relies on what she called "crucial episodes" or "illuminating incidents" to reveal theme and develop character. In Wharton's novels this technique attains a rare perfection as subject matter, circumstance, and dialogue are repeatedly connected by succeeding episodes. In addition, Wharton's fictional method allowed her to stage a series of incidents that essentially foretell the nature of a novel's outcome, creating a dramatic sense of inevitability that is often mistaken for determinism or naturalism. Wharton used the same technique throughout her career, lending strength to her published theories of fiction. The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), and The Age of Innocence (1921) are representative not only of her best work, but also of her basic structural technique.

Cette thèse présente une réflexion sur les multiples figures du romancier américain qui émergent des entretiens littéraires de The Paris Review entre 1953 et 1973, soit les deux premières décennies d'existence de la revue. Afin de mieux saisir les spécificités et l'impact du modèle d'entretien littéraire créé par une poignée de rédacteurs aussi inspirés que débutants, cette étude revient tout d'abord sur l'histoire des little magazines, sur le contexte de la création et le fonctionnement interne de The Paris Review, avant de retracer l'histoire complexe de l'entretien littéraire. Grâce à l'analyse des archives de la revue, elle met en évidence la collaboration de l'équipe de rédacteurs et des romanciers interviewés dans un processus novateur de réécriture des entretiens. Car l'entretien littéraire est un lieu de négociation de différentes autorités, entre l'« ethos préalable » de l'écrivain utilisé par l'interviewer et les diverses stratégies (scénographies auctoriales, postures, « prêt à être écrivain ») déployées par le romancier pour asseoir sa légitimité. Derrière le portrait à deux voix que semble être l'entretien littéraire apparaît bientôt l'autoportrait de l'écrivain. L'entretien littéraire de The Paris Review donne lieu à une forme de fiction biographique, à travers laquelle l'écrivain que The Paris Review était venu interroger sur « l'art de la fiction » laisse la parole à l'auteur pour construire et défendre son image. / This dissertation examines the various figures of the American novelist which takes form in the famous literary interviews published by The Paris Review during the first two decades of its existence (1953-1973). In order to analyze the specificities and the impact of the new model of literary interview created by the inspired, yet inexperienced editors and interviewers of the review, this dissertation first traces the history of "little magazines" as well as the context in which the Paris Review interviews were shaped and polished, and then analyzes the complex history of the literary interview as a genre. Through the study of the archives of the review, the author casts a light on the collaboration between the editorial board and the interviewed novelists during the demanding rewriting process of the literary interviews. The literary interview thus appears as a space where negotiations take place, opposing the preconceptions of the interviewer to the various strategies displayed by the novelist in order to assert his legitimacy. What was originally designed as a single portrait composed by two instances actually turns into the novelist's controlled self-portrait.Ultimately The Paris Review literary interview becomes a form of biographical fiction, in which the writer, initally questioned on "the art of fiction", leaves center stage to the author, who takes great care of his own public persona.