Jean-François Vilar: Theatres Of Crime
Margaret Atack
Research Monographs in French Studies 51•28 September 2020
- ‘Deeply knowledgeable, lucid and clearly written, ably teasing out narrative complexities, philosophical challenges and socio-political controversies, Atack’s study illuminates and explains the importance of Vilar’s writing not just for aficionados of noir fiction, but for anyone seeking insights into the history and culture of modern France.’ — David H. Walker, Journal of European Studies 51.3–4, November 2021, 368-69
- ‘A thoroughly researched and critically insightful assessment of Vilar’s noir fiction. Critics and theorists of crime literature will find much to mine in Atack’s interpretations, geared more for scholars than the generally curious... a superb, largely celebratory monograph on Vilar’s writings, reanimating him from the shadows and introducing him to an English reading audience.’ — Robin Walz, H-France 22.17, January 2022
- ‘In Jean-François Vilar: Theatres of Crime, Margaret Atack undertakes an exploration of Vilar’s crime novels, short stories, and non-fictional writings on cities with a view towards ‘elucidat[ing] the coherence of the political, thematic, generic, and textual dimensions’ of his writing and contributing towards larger debates about ‘fiction, politics and history; philosophy, narrative and art; text and image’... The monograph is beautifully written and, on the whole, achieves its aims. As Atack notes in the introduction, this is the first full-length study of Vilar’s work—an excellent contribution to literary scholarship, in its own right.’ — Julie M. Powell, Modern and Contemporary France published online, 2022 (full text online)
Proust: La Traduction du sensible
Nathalie Aubert
Research Monographs in French Studies 13•1 February 2003
- ‘Careful examination of that delicate area between object seen and the deepening sense of being and elation which goes beyond the banality of the situation and becomes a challenge for the narrator to resolve in words: in fact, the very opposition of life and art that lies at the root of Proust's quest.’ — W. L. Hodson, Modern Language Review 99.3, 2004, 786-7 (full text online)
- ‘Utile et intéressant, ce petit volume introduit des observations profondes et nouvelles.’ — Gareth Gollrad, French Review 79.3, 2006, 624-25
Stéphane Mallarmé. Correspondance: compléments et suppléments
Edited by Lloyd James Austin, Bertrand Marchal and Nicola Luckhurst
Research Monographs in French Studies 2•1 May 1998
- ‘This volume is intended to be an indispensable companion to the immense material already published by Editions Gallimard, and stands as a monument to the academic devotion of Lloyd Austin.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies 37.1, 2001, 106
- ‘Nous retrouvons ici la rigueur, l'érudition, la minutie et le bon sens qui caractérisent le travail d'Austin.’ — Peter Dayan, French Studies LIV.1, 2000, 101-2
La Cort d'Amor: A Critical Edition
Edited by Matthew Bardell
Research Monographs in French Studies 11•1 May 2002
- ‘Makes an important contribution to the study of medieval allegory and courtly love in general, as well as of the dissemination of Ovid in the Middle Ages. The narrative itself raises interesting questions concerning the relationship between literature in Occitan, Old French and Latin.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies XXXIX, 2003, 470
- ‘L'édition d'un texte relativement négligé est toujours la bienvenue, surtout lorsque celles qui l'ont précédée ne sont pas satisfaisantes. Il va de soi qui toute publication constituera un progrès et peut mener à la résolution des difficultés qui restent. Tel est le cas de La Cort d'Amor.’ — Peter Ricketts, Revue des Langues Romanes CVII/1, 2003, 211-27
- ‘This is an effective, accessible, and enlightening version of an often neglected and sadly misunderstood poem. It will undoubtedly lead specialists to consider further the dialogue between northern French and Occitan-speaking literary circles of the late twelfth century. It also shows the extent to which allegorical narratives prior to the Roman de la rose were exploring similar questions and problems.’ — Catherine Léglu, Speculum October 2004, 1028-30
- ‘As well as having a thought-provoking introduction, Bardell's edition comes with a carefully delineated statement of editorial principles ... let us hope that critics will indeed make the Cort d'Amor their own thanks to this admirable edition.’ — Francesca Nicholson, Modern Language Review 99.3, 2004, 772 (full text online)
- ‘Bardell's edition is the first reliable and complete one of the poem ... in highlighting the importance of the poem Bardell has opened the way for further study, particularly in the history and use of vernacular allegory and in the attitudes that the text propounds.’ — Leslie C. Brook, Medium Aevum LXXIII.i, 2004, 154-5
- ‘Zusammenfassend kann man sagen: solide Neuausgabe, die als Basis für den Cort d'Amor gelten kann und die Editionen von Constant und Jones ersetzt; gute literarische Einleitung; eine vertiefte sprachliche Analyse steht aber noch aus.’ — Max Pfister, Zeitschrift für romanische Sprache Bd. 120, Heft 3, 2004, 564-8
- ‘[Bardell's] reading of the allegory is sensitive and convincing. This challenging text has waited too long for a reliable edition. Bardell has advanced our understanding appreciably, but manifold uncertainties remain.’ — William D. Paden, French Studies 59.2, 2005, 225-26
Postcolonial Criticism and Representations of African Dictatorship: The Aesthetics of Tyranny
Cécile Bishop
Research Monographs in French Studies 41•1 July 2014
- ‘This is an impressive first book that calls for renewed engagement with established critical approaches and opens up intriguing new avenues of research.’ — Charlotte Baker, French Studies 69.3, July 2015, 430
- ‘A cultural interpretation that often transcends its focus on the postcolonial project in order to raise important questions regarding the work of criticism more generally... Ultimately, the book is an example of excellent scholarship that leads to a very thought-provoking consideration of the work of critical interpretation more widely.’ — Aedín Ní Loingsigh, H-France 15, November 2015, no. 163
- ‘Une problématique intéressante et une contribution pertinente construite sur des travaux théoriques majeurs et un corpus littéraire et cinématographique qui demeurent d’actualité.’ — Parfait Bonkoungou, French Review 89.3, 2016, 13-14
- ‘Indeed, the monograph convincingly demonstrates that the political and the aesthetic interact in complex and often contradictory ways in a fictional text, with Bishop effectively highlight- ing a system by which political readings are inevitably assigned more value in scholarship... A welcome contribution to the field of postcolonial criticism.’ — Kathryn Mara, Research in African Literatures 47.4, Winter 2017, 188-89
Laforgue, Philosophy, and Ideas of Otherness
Sam Bootle
Research Monographs in French Studies 54•25 May 2018
- ‘This is the first full-length study of Laforgue to be published in English since Anne Holmes’s Jules Laforgue and Poetic Innovation (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993). For all that anglophone scholarship has contributed in the intervening twenty-five years to the critical picture of a poet best known for his pioneering vers libre, it has lacked the sustained depth and breadth of attention that Sam Bootle’s excellent monograph offers... Through its own openness to Laforgue’s intellectual eclecticism, this book offers a necessary and compelling account of a poet far more widely recognized for his formal experimentation than for his very particular brand of culture critique.’ — Claire White, French Studies 73.3, July 2019, 471-72 (full text online)
- ‘Ecco qui la monografia di un giovane ricercatore incentrata sulla presenza della filosofia tedesca e orientale nella produ- zione di Jules Laforgue. Lo studio è così convincente che un suo capitolo, volto in lingua francese, è entrato a far parte di un recentissimo numero (2, 2017) della “Revue d’Histoire littéraire de la France” coordinato da Henri Scepi e dedicato a Laforgue, Poésie et Philosophie. A fine volume, l’indice dei nomi, concetti e titoli evi- denzia che, in questo luogo, l’indagine è di più ampio spettro, coinvolgendo sia l’opera in versi che l’opera in prosa di Jules Laforgue.’ — Alessandra Marangoni, Studi francesi 188, 2020, 383
- ‘Bootle’s fine monograph brings us fresh and valuable perspec- tives on Laforgue’s infinitely intriguing poetry, prose, and, above all, philosophical engagement with the world.’ — Alexandra K. Wettlaufer, Modern Language Review 115.3, July 2020, 726-27 (full text online)
Race and the Unconscious: Freudianism in French Caribbean Thought
Celia Britton
Research Monographs in French Studies 12•1 November 2002
- ‘In this original, succinct, and highly relevant book, Celia Britton ... traces the various distortions and reformulations of Freudian thought within the Antillean context. ... The book combines intricate close reading with in-depth knowledge of the psychoanalytic field, and this brief but punchy sequence of arguments successfully points the way towards further questioning and research in a rich and complex area.’ — Jane Hiddleston, Modern Language Review 100.2, 2005, 515 (full text online)
- ‘Fascinating essay ... Britton does not so much draw a conclusion as bring the argument to a point of (provisional) closure. But it is equally her triumph to be in a position to point to certain stable notions.’ — Belinda Jack, French Studies LVIII.3, 2004, 438-9
- ‘A succinct, tightly-argued study... Britton's reading of this already much-interpreted and misinterpreted text [Peau noire, masques blancs] is complex and original.’ — Sam Haigh, Journal of Romance Studies 6.3, 2006, 127-35
Geometry and Jean Genet: Shaping the Subject
Joanne Brueton
Research Monographs in French Studies 61•23 February 2022
Two Old French Satires on the Power of the Keys: L'Escommeniement au lecheor and Le Pardon de foutre
Edited by Daron Burrows
Research Monographs in French Studies 18•4 February 2005
- ‘The first of the two works edited here was published only in 1844; the second has never been edited until now... That these works should be known is undeniable. If it is unnecessary, or perhaps futile, to speak of their literary value, they are clearly interesting for other reasons. In particular, should anyone still need assurance that religion and the Church were fair game for medieval satirists, this volume should lay those doubts to rest.’ — Norris J. Lacy, French Review 82.1, 2009, 150-51
Poisoned Words: Slander and Satire in Early Modern France
Emily Butterworth
Research Monographs in French Studies 21•24 May 2006
- ‘Emily Butterworth’s thoughtful and elegantly argued study... makes an important contribution to that burgeoning area of critical study where literature can never be conceived outside the notion of law, and in this case, the law itself.’ — Henry Phillips, Modern Language Review 103.3, July 2008, 852-53 (full text online)
- ‘Her excellent book will be of interest to anybody concerned with rhetoric, polemic and the fashioning (and unfashioning) of early modern reputations.’ — Timothy Chesters, French Studies 469-70
- ‘Butterworth’s valuable work clearly shows that slander and satire are linked to other important preoccupations of the time (such as the use of rhetoric and the formation of identity) and brings a welcome focus on three writers, each of whom addresses one of Lucian’s positions: slanderer, audience and victim.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies 45.3 (2009), 351-54
Oral Narration in Modern French: A Linguistic Analysis of Temporal Patterns
Janice Carruthers
Research Monographs in French Studies 19•13 September 2005
- ‘The strength of the book is in showing how much more complex Tense-Switching is in oral narratives than could have been expected, and – even more importantly – the need to use all kinds of tools... It also encourages a new broader look at a whole range of different kinds of discourse with an oral dimension. And from the reader’s point of view it includes, en passant, a wonderfully clear exposition of areas that s/he may have not looked at closely, given the tendency to concentrate on one approach only. Namely, Moeschler’s summary of the theoretical approaches to temporal sequencing (in convenient diagram form), different approaches to tenses on the narrative line (Weinrich, Benveniste, Waugh, Vetters, Revasz, myself, and others), Smith’s Narrative mode and Report Mode, Leech and Short’s continuum of discourse forms (another useful diagram), Fleisshman’s table of markedness oppositions for the past and present tenses in ordinary language (adapted), and, Borillo’s classification of subordinators... Altogether a’ — Anne Judge, Journal of French Language Studies 19.3, 2009, 414-416
- ‘Carruthers’ book is a genuinely original contribution to the field that puts the performed story on the map as a new genre for linguistic study and also improves our understanding of tense usage and temporal patterning in French.’ — Mairi McLaughlin, French Studies 64.1, 2010, 126-127
Selfless Cinema?: Ethics and French Documentary
Sarah Cooper
Research Monographs in French Studies 20•17 January 2006
- ‘This engagingly written and lucid examination of the relevance of Levinasian thought for cinema... diligently attends to the ways in which creators, through a variety of techniques, unsettle conventional boundaries and relationships within documentary film and persuasively argues that they thus encourage new ways of seeing amongst viewers.’ — unsigned, Forum for Modern Language Studies 46.1, January 2010, 110
- ‘An important and original intervention... Selfless Cinema? is impressive in the range and depth of ideas it addresses within a relatively short span, which makes it highly practicable. I have assigned individual chapters in an undergraduate seminar on contemporary French cinema with very positive results, and the entire book would serve as an excellent cornerstone for a graduate course.’ — Anne Kern, French Review 83.5, 2010, 1092-93
Robert Antelme: Humanity, Community, Testimony
Martin Crowley
Research Monographs in French Studies 15•1 May 2003
- ‘A sensitive and timely account... Crowley’s challenging and detailed study shows vitally that if Antelme is ultimately and necessarily writing within the limits of his own period, none the less he makes an urgent, ethical, and highly politicized challenge to the reader which may never be realized, yet which remains all the more pressing at the beginning of the twenty-first century.’ — Kathryn Robson, Modern Language Review 100.1, January 2005, 220-21 (full text online)
- ‘Martin Crowley's concern, in this thought-provoking study of the text and the readings to which it has given rise, is to elucidate the dynamics of Antelme's thought firstly by focusing specifically on Antelme, rather than on Antelme as approached from Marguerite Duras, and secondly by situating Antelme's writings historically, philosophically and, to a certain extent, politically.’ — Margaret Atack, French Studies 58.4, 2004, 574
The Subversive Poetics of Alfred Jarry: Ubusing Culture in the Almanachs du Père Ubu
Marieke Dubbelboer
Research Monographs in French Studies 35•30 January 2012
- ‘The innovative political focus that she provides on Jarry’s œuvre is especially welcome... It is a pleasure to find the Jarry–Bonnard collaboration given thorough analysis... This book expands Jarry’s relevance beyond the literary arena.’ — Jill Fell, Modern Language Review 108.3, 2013, 977-78 (full text online)
- ‘En raison de la précision et de la justesse des analyses qu’il propose, le livre de Dubbelboer doit donc dès à présent être considéré comme un ouvrage de référence pour quiconque s’intéresse de près à la cosmogonie ubuesque.’ — Karl Pollin, Nineteenth-Century French Studies 42.3-4, Summer 2014, 293-94
- ‘This cogent, insightful study analyzes the sophisticated collage-based social satire in the critically underrepresented Almanachs du Père Ubu (1898, 1901). Through close readings and archival research, Dubbelboer immerses us in Jarry’s inspired fusion of art and life.’ — Aaron Prevots, French Review 88.2, October 2014, 223
The Holocaust in French Postmodern Fiction: Aesthetics, Politics, Ethics
Helena Duffy
Research Monographs in French Studies 64•10 December 2022
Regarding Manneken Pis: Culture, Celebration and Conflict in Brussels
Catherine Emerson
Research Monographs in French Studies 42•16 March 2015
- ‘In this detailed and investigative study, the multiplicity of interpretations to which the statue has been subjected comes to the fore... The iconic Manneken Pis straddles French-speaking and Flemish-speaking communities and cultures, and Emerson teases out these narratives and their ramifications.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies 52.2, 2016, 235
- ‘To arrive at the heart of understanding how this two-foot statue has come to mean so much to the people of Brussels and to express the wide variety of social relations and tensions of a complex city and a modern nation as a whole, Regarding Manneken Pis is an ideal resource.’ — Eileen M. Angelini, French Review 89.3, 2016, 60
France, Algeria and the Moving Image: Screening Histories of Violence 1963–2010
Maria Flood
Research Monographs in French Studies 49•26 February 2018
- ‘Combining scholarly precision with formal concision, Flood’s volume ranges widely and innovatively across the highlighted representations of Franco-Algerian violence from the colonial period to the present, providing valuable insights into the broader landscape of relations between the two countries, and specifically the violence, both punctual and systemic, that has historically underpinned them. In the process, it justifies her foundational argument, namely the capacity of the imagined spaces of cinema not only to reflect critically on the colonial past and the postcolonial present, but also actively to imagine alternative futures, in France, Algeria, and beyond.’ — Philip Dine, French Studies 73.3, July 2019, 494-95 (full text online)
Dada as Text, Thought and Theory
Stephen Forcer
Research Monographs in French Studies 39•22 July 2015
- ‘Stephen Forcer’s original, timely and impeccably researched monograph is an adventurous and therefore provocative attempt to combine close readings of verbal and visual Dada texts with an imaginative analytical conspectus of the ‘rich inner life’ of the Paris Lodge... Dada wisdom is finally reaching a large audience, both inside and outside universities, during a dürtiger Zeit when that unconventional commodity is becoming more behovely than ever.’ — Richard Sheppard, Journal of European Studies 46.1, 74-75
- ‘This cogent and wide-ranging study... challenges the reader to reassess Dada as a far from simplistic phenomenon exerting a radical influence on contemporary culture.’ — unsigned notice, Forum for Modern Language Studies 52.2, 2016, 235
- ‘A perceptive reappraisal of the movement... Forcer’s study uncovers convincingly, through a close and sensitive study of diverse intersections, the semantic plurality and allusive density of Dada texts; and thus confirms his conclusion that, even when meaning appears to collapse, it ‘inevitably re-emerges, playfully and gloriously’.’ — Elza Adamowicz, Modern Language Review 111.4, October 2016, 1139-40 (full text online)
- ‘This is a lively, incisive, and thought-provoking book substantially based on original archive work, which injects new and proliferating life into the study of Dada... With excellent English translations of quotations throughout, and well-chosen monochrome illustrations, the book is fully accessible to non-francophone readers and is an absolute must for anyone with a serious interest in Dada.’ — Andrew Rothwell, French Studies 71.1, Winter 2017, 133-34
The Livres-Souvenirs of Colette: Genre and the Telling of Time
Anne Freadman
Research Monographs in French Studies 33•10 October 2012
- ‘Freadman’s own book is elegantly written and delivers analytical acuity in the voice of a reader moved and enriched by her subject, as Colette’s writing deserves.’ — Diana Holmes, French Studies 67.4, October 2013, 575
- ‘What shines through brightly across the entirety of Friedman's analysis is the sensitivity with which she highlights Colette's narrative intentions... A highly valuable addition to the scholarly activity currently produced on Colette.’ — Eileen M. Angelini, New Zealand Journal of French Studies 34.2, 2014, 125-26
- ‘A new and convincing account of genre and autobiography in a selection of Colette’s more autobiographical writings... This book will be indispensable for scholars of Colette and those interested in the genre of autobiography.’ — Kathleen Antonioli, Modern Language Review 109.4, October 2014, 1088-89 (full text online)
- ‘The rich and varied readings of the material, competently informed by theoretical input, together with acute sensitivity to the corpus, mark out this study as incontournable for Colette scholars.’ — Hélène Stafford, Modern and Contemporary France 22.3, 2014, 407-09
- ‘Freadman’s book is clearly organized, with English translations following original French quotations, notes at the end of each chapter, bibliography, and index. Given the free-flowing analy- sis and essay-like treatment in general, this is an approach that will be appreciated most by those already familiar with a substantial part of Colette’s extensive corpus; for such readers, Freadman’s rapidly-moving treatment and often ludic touch should provide a good measure of enjoyment.’ — John T. Booker, French Review 88.4, 2014, 272
Saints and Monsters in Medieval French and Occitan Literature: Sublime and Abject Bodies
Huw Grange
Research Monographs in French Studies 53•17 May 2017
- ‘The author moves with an impressive lightness of touch across a huge range of versions of four saints’ lives — those of Margaret, George, Honorat, and Enimia — covering verse and prose, and Latin, French, and Occitan, in mostly unpublished manuscript versions... a considerable accomplishment.’ — Luke Sunderland, French Studies 72.3, July 2018, 428-29
- ‘This well-crafted book captures the goodwill of its audience from page one. Its author, Huw Grange, makes a simple inversion that rights a chronological wrong: saints are not the comic-book superheroes of the Middle Ages; rather today’s superheroes continue in the medieval saints’ tradition of extraordinary corporality... Saints and Monsters is what one would hope for a book of its kind insofar as its sophisticated engagement with theory is everywhere also an engagement with the literary object.’ — Brian J. Reilly, H-France 18.175, August 2018
- ‘Grange’s final words affirm that the lives he’s described “want to live,” and in that want lies his book’s central thesis; but it is just possible that these saints are, thanks in part to Grange’s efforts at telling their stories, still living; and it is just possible that so are we.’ — Cary Howie, Speculum 95.1, January 2020, 249-50
Expressivism: The Vicissitudes of a Theory in the Writings of Proust and Barthes
Johnnie Gratton
Research Monographs in French Studies 6•1 March 2000
- ‘Refreshing... This book is a must for graduates coming new to this debate and to these authors, and for the wider reader it is an engaging and polished addition to an excellent series.’ — Timothy Mathews, French Studies LVI.3, 2002, 421-2
- ‘Gratton's conclusion is that we should remember that words have matted, contradictory histories, to guard ourselves against believing wholeheartedly in unmediated expression... Repays attentive reading.’ — Ingrid Wassenaar, Fabula April, 2001
- ‘Nel corso della sua attenta analisi.’ — Antonella Arrigoni, Studi francesi XLVI, 2002, 2
Privileged Anonymity: The Writings of Madame de Lafayette
Anne Green
Research Monographs in French Studies 1•1 June 1996
- ‘Produces many fresh insights, and demonstrates admirably that La Fayette's writing repays detailed scrutiny... Readable, instructive and accessible: valuable for specialists and illuminating for the general reader.’ — Maya Slater, Times Literary Supplement 1996
- ‘This thought-provoking study inaugurates a major new series of critical monographs... Offers many fresh insights into these important texts, and it is to be warmly welcomed.’ — Jonathan Mallinson, French Studies LIV.2, 2000, 215-6
- Luisa Benatti, Studi francesi 124, 1998, 135
The Philomena of Chrétien the Jew: The Semiotics of Evil
Peter Haidu, edited by Matilda Tomaryn Bruckner
Research Monographs in French Studies 59•28 September 2020
Alter Ego: Critical Writings of Michel Leiris
Seán Hand
Research Monographs in French Studies 17•1 May 2004
- ‘This wide-ranging and incisive study covers an impressive amount of material in a short space, combining a sure grasp of context with acute close reading.’ — Douglas Smith, French Studies 60.1, 2006, 149-50
Genet's Genres of Politics
Mairéad Hanrahan
Research Monographs in French Studies 50•22 April 2023