A. Diouf, Poetics of the Narrative Voice in the Work of Marguerite Yourcenar - Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Diouf, Poetics of the Narrative Voice in the Work of Marguerite Yourcenar
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

Abdoulaye Diouf, Poétique de la voix narrative dans l'oeuvre de Marguerite Yourcenar

Preface by Alain Rabatel.

Paris: L'Harmattan, "Critiques littéraires" series, 2013.

354 pp.

EAN 9782336304502

EUR

Publisher's Description:

Drawing on the contributions of enunciative linguistics, this work explores the concept of voice as an infra-verbal subjectivity that is not embodied in the "formal apparatus of enunciation." Through the prominent representation of the body, it also demonstrates that the enunciative process is a corporeal matter. In short, these three dimensions—narratological, linguistic, and corporeal—present the metaphor of the narrative voice as a confluence of multiple meanings in the novels of Marguerite Yourcenar.

Abdoulaye Diouf holds a PhD in French Literature from Université Paris XIII - Nord.

Marguerite Yourcenar occupies a distinctive place in twentieth-century French literature, renowned for her historical novels such as Memoirs of Hadrian and The Abyss. Her prose is characterized by meticulous historical research, philosophical depth, and a refined classical style. By examining the subtle mechanics of narrative voice in her fiction, this study engages directly with the formalist and stylistic traditions that have long defined French literary criticism, shedding new light on how Yourcenar constructs authority, interiority, and perspective across her fictional universe.

This book will be of particular interest to scholars and advanced students of narratology, modern French prose, and stylistic analysis. It addresses central questions regarding the intersection of language, bodily presence, and narrative technique in fiction. By applying the frameworks of enunciative linguistics to Yourcenars oeuvre, the study offers valuable methodological tools for researchers investigating how subjectivity and bodily representation manifest within literary discourse beyond traditional grammar and explicit enunciation.