French Literature Reviews - 2026

Writing Before the Absolute. Georges Bernanos and Miguel de Unamuno.
Comparative and World Literature

Danielle Perrot-Corpet, Ecrire devant l'absolu. Georges Bernanos et Miguel de Unamuno. Paris, Champion, 2005.

How does the reference to the Absolute find its place in literature within the "godless world" of our Western modernity? This is the central question explored through a comparison of these two literary titans of 20th-century European letters, Georges Bernanos and Miguel de Unamuno.
In the face of the falsehoods and disillusionments of their troubled era, both the Frenchman and the Spaniard, in their quest for the ultimate truth of human existence, turned to a poetic vocation whose meaning derives entirely from its relation to the question of God—without ever substituting for it.
It is no coincidence that these two "writers before the absolute" are finally emerging from a long period of critical neglect, as scholarly attention increasingly turns toward the concept of modernity.

Danielle Perrot-Corpet, a former student of the École Normale Supérieure and holder of the agrégation in modern literature, is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at Université Lumière-Lyon 2.

The study situates Georges Bernanos and Miguel de Unamuno within the broader landscape of 20th-century European literature, a period marked by shifts in religious and secular thought. By examining their responses to the disillusionments of their era, the text reflects on the tension between artistic creation and the search for ultimate truth. This comparative approach highlights how both writers maintained a poetic vocation that engaged with the question of God while acknowledging the complexities of a modern, often godless, Western society. Readers interested in the intersection of theology and literary history may find this analysis relevant.

The work addresses the transition of these figures from a period of critical neglect to renewed scholarly interest. By focusing on the relationship between the literary act and the Absolute, the study relates to ongoing discussions regarding the nature of modernity in European letters. It explores how the Frenchman and the Spaniard navigated the falsehoods of their time, positioning their writing as a response to the existential challenges posed by the 20th century. This investigation provides a framework for understanding how literature grapples with transcendence in a secularized intellectual tradition.