French Literature Reviews - 2026

The Gaze in Visual Arts and Literature
Art and Visual Culture

The Gaze in Visual Arts and Literature (England, United States)

Papers compiled by Élisabeth Angel-Perez and Pierre Arnaud

Presses universitaires de la Sorbonne

Coll. "Sillages Critiques (Anglophone Literature)"

Paris, 09/09/2003

250 p.

ISBN : 2-84050-296-8

19 euros.

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Publisher's blurb:

For its third issue, Sillages Critiques publishes a volume dedicated to the theme of the gaze. Standing at the crossroads of literary expression, drama, and pictorial art, the gaze at work within the artwork brings together various issues—from the perspective of the author, narrator, character, or critic—ranging from the quest (the epiphanic gaze) to transgression (the voyeur's gaze). Focusing on the concept of the scopic, the contributors invite us to revisit traditional generic categories in both painting and literature.

From love at first sight to the hypnotic gaze, the look does more than simply make the artwork and the viewer visible; it (re)creates and (re)founds them. It serves, so to speak, as the window to both literary and artistic creation.

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The study of the gaze has long occupied a central position in aesthetic theory, particularly within the fields of art history and literary criticism. By examining how visual perception is mediated through the eyes of characters, narrators, and observers, scholars often seek to understand the power dynamics inherent in the act of looking. This volume, The Gaze in Visual Arts and Literature, explores the scopic drive as a structural element that shapes the relationship between the viewer and the viewed object in painting, drama, and literature.

The contributions gathered here address the multifaceted nature of visual engagement, ranging from the epiphanic gaze to the voyeur's gaze. The authors revisit traditional generic categories in both painting and literature, examining how the look serves as a foundational element in artistic creation. Readers interested in the intersection of visual culture and narrative theory may find this collection relevant to their research.

Excerpt: "The gaze of objects in Vanitas painting", by Jacques Darriulat.