Poetic Becomings: Studies in Contemporary French Literature (Modern French Identities)

What does contemporary French poetry do to the subject? This book examines the means and effects of the subject’s transmutation into various processes of (de-)subjectivation by looking at the works of four contemporary writers: Christian Prigent, Dominique Fourcade, Olivier Cadiot and Hubert Lucot. The author explores their work in the context of Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy, building a critical apparatus – a ‘poetics of becoming’ – that informs close readings of poems and prose. Moving beyond established criteria of classical literary criticism, the book both offers a comparative discussion of Deleuze’s notions of literature and provides new insights into French writing, addressing the political dimension of contemporary poetry from the perspective of current theoretical radicalism. What does contemporary French poetry do to the subject? This book examines the means and effects of the subject's transmutation into various processes of (de- )subjectivation by looking at the works of four contemporary writers: Christian Prigent, Dominique Fourcade, Olivier Cadiot and Hubert Lucot. The author explores their work in the context of Gilles Deleuze's philosophy, building a critical apparatus -- a "poetics of becoming"--That informs close readings of poems and prose. Moving beyond established criteria of classical literary criticism, the book both offers a comparative discussion of Deleuze's notions of literature and provides new insights into French writing, addressing the political dimension of contemporary poetry from the perspective of current theoretical radicalism What does contemporary French poetry do to the subject? This book examines the means and effects of the subject's transmutation into various processes of (de- )subjectivation by looking at the works of four contemporary writers: Christian Prigent, Dominique Fourcade, Olivier Cadiot and Hubert Lucot. The author explores their work in the context of Gilles Deleuze's philosophy, building a critical apparatus - a 'poetics of becoming' - that informs close readings of poems and prose. Moving beyond established criteria of classical literary criticism, the book both offers a comparative discussion of Deleuze's notions of literature and provides new insights into French writing, addressing the political dimension of contemporary poetry from the perspective of current theoretical radicalism Content: Acknowledgements vii Introduction: A Poetics of Becoming 1 Chapter 1 -- Christian Prigent, or Life as Piercing 57 Chapter 2 -- Dominique Fourcade, or a Poetics of the Rhizome 107 Chapter 3 -- Olivier Cadiot, or the Stuttering Self 151 Chapter 4 -- Hubert Lucot, or the Writing of Duration 189 Conclusion: Towards a Politics of Becoming? 227 Additional Bibliography 241 Index of Names 251. ±Game's book is wholly original and well-argued, and a rich source of ideas for any scholar in the field. It should also be of interest to a public curious about sources of recent developments in French writing.? (Nathalie Wourm, French Forum 37, 2012/3)