This study proposes an in-depth analysis of the concept of imagination in the Essais as it emerges through various occurrences of the words "imagination" and "fantasie" (synonymous in the XVIth century) and their numerous derivatives. By focusing on two fundamental characteristics of this faculty, its "autonomy" and "power of sensory representation", this dissertation argues that Montaigne's idea of imagination, intimately related to man's desire and presumptuousness, is based on an essential ambivalence by which it produces indifferently real or illusory images, representations of truth as well as falsehood. This work explores the actualisation of this paradoxical character of imagination in its relationship with nature and in its participation in the knowledge process. The study considers both Montaigne's own thinking and the act of writing through which it is realized, form and matter being inseparable for the essayist.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.68090 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Fontaine, Guylaine |
| Contributors | Desrosiers-Bonin, Diane (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | French |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Département de langue et littérature françaises.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001397469, proquestno: AAIMM94337, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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