Le temps d’engagement dans les oeuvres d’André Gide et de Johannes Semper: les univers fictionnels entre l’élan vital et la littérature engagée
Date
2023-10-31
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Abstract
Väitekiri keskendub André Gide’i (1869-1951) ja Johannes Semperi (1892-1970) ilukirjanduslikele teostele, eesmärgiga analüüsida nende fiktsionaalsesse maailma kätketud aega. Aja mõistet uuritakse läbi Gide’i ja Semperi esseistika, samuti läbi Jean-Paul Sartre’i, Henri Bergsoni, Paul Ricœuri ja Jacques Noiray teooriate. Lähtudes Sartre’i „värvatud kirjanduse“ ideest kujundan mõiste „värvatuse aeg“, et analüüsida Gide’i ja Semperi loomingut. Selline aeg viitab kirjaniku aktiivsele püüdele muuta oma teoste kaudu ühiskonda.
Nii Gide’i kui Semperi fiktsionaalsetes maailmades esindab aeg indiviidi teadvuse mitmesust. Mõlema autori teostes tekib aeg, kui tegelaste kehad esinevad kujutluspiltidena, mis võivad asuda iseendast väljaspool. Nii saavad tegelased „teiseks“ – nendeks, kes nad ei ole. Analüüsin neid kujutluspilte läbi Sartre’i mõiste „võimalikkus“, mis viitab ideele, et indiviidil on võime kujutleda tulevikku asuvana väljaspool olevikku. Uurides Gide’i loomingus kujutluspilte, mida võib käsitleda „võimalikkusena“, selgub, et nende läbi avalduvat aega võib järjest enam käsitleda aktiivsusena, mida märgib see, et äratuntav ajastruktuur laguneb järjest enam koost. Semperi teostes ei esine tegelaste kehad ainult kujutluspiltidena, mis asuvad endast väljaspool, vaid nad moodustavad „võimalikkuste“ võrgustiku koos tegelastega, kes on nende kõrval. Semperi loomingus on selgemini kui Gide’i puhul äratuntav teose kui erinevatest kehadest koosneva organismi orgaaniline jätkuv areng, mis kätkeb Bergsoni „kestuse“ ja „eluhoo“ elemente. Tegelaste võrgustiku arenemist võib mõtestada kui ühiskonna arengu võrdpilti: nii Semperi kui Gide’i jaoks on oluline indiviidi aktiivsus ühiskonna kujundamisel.
The thesis explores the literary works of André Gide (1869-1951) and Johannes Semper (1892-1970) with a specific aim to analyse time in their fictional worlds. The concept of time is examined through the essays of Gide and Semper as well as through the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre, Henri Bergson, Paul Ricœur, and Jacques Noiray. Inspired by Sartre’s idea of “committed writing”, I have developed the concept of “committed time” for analysing the works of Gide and Semper. The term refers to the active role of a writer in attempting to bring about societal change. In the fictional worlds of Semper and Gide, time represents the plurality of an individual’s consciousness. In the works of both authors, time emerges when the bodies of the characters constitute images which can be presented as outside themselves. Consequently, the characters become “others” – those that they are not. I analyse these images through Sartre’s concept of “possibility”, which refers to the idea that individuals possess the capacity to imagine the future as being outside the present. The images of “possibility” in Gide's works reveal a gradual transformation of time into action, represented by a progressive falling apart of a recognizable temporal structure. In Semper's work, the bodies of characters not only exist outside their own selves but also form a network of interconnected “possibilities” with other juxtaposed bodies. Semper's prose, more explicitly than Gide's, portrays the continual development of the fictional world as a plural organism characterized by Bergson’s concepts of “duration” and “élan vital.” The development of the network of characters in the works of Gide and Semper reflects the idea of societal progress and highlights the conviction of the two authors regarding the pivotal role of individuals’ actions in shaping society
The thesis explores the literary works of André Gide (1869-1951) and Johannes Semper (1892-1970) with a specific aim to analyse time in their fictional worlds. The concept of time is examined through the essays of Gide and Semper as well as through the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre, Henri Bergson, Paul Ricœur, and Jacques Noiray. Inspired by Sartre’s idea of “committed writing”, I have developed the concept of “committed time” for analysing the works of Gide and Semper. The term refers to the active role of a writer in attempting to bring about societal change. In the fictional worlds of Semper and Gide, time represents the plurality of an individual’s consciousness. In the works of both authors, time emerges when the bodies of the characters constitute images which can be presented as outside themselves. Consequently, the characters become “others” – those that they are not. I analyse these images through Sartre’s concept of “possibility”, which refers to the idea that individuals possess the capacity to imagine the future as being outside the present. The images of “possibility” in Gide's works reveal a gradual transformation of time into action, represented by a progressive falling apart of a recognizable temporal structure. In Semper's work, the bodies of characters not only exist outside their own selves but also form a network of interconnected “possibilities” with other juxtaposed bodies. Semper's prose, more explicitly than Gide's, portrays the continual development of the fictional world as a plural organism characterized by Bergson’s concepts of “duration” and “élan vital.” The development of the network of characters in the works of Gide and Semper reflects the idea of societal progress and highlights the conviction of the two authors regarding the pivotal role of individuals’ actions in shaping society
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French, Estonian, literature, society, individuals (philosophy), time, idealism, literary science, philosophical aspects, first half of the 20th century