The Making of the Character - Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

French Literature Reviews - 2026

The Making of the Character
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

The Making of the Character

Edited by Françoise Lavocat, Claude Murcia and Régis Salado

Paris, Honoré Champion
coll. "COLLOQUES CONGRES CONF. LITTERATURE COMPAREE" no. 11

2007

ISBN: 9782745315366

592 pp.

€100

Publisher's Overview:

Acknowledging the paradigm shift introduced by contemporary theories of fiction, this volume reconsiders the notion of the character from a cross-historical and cross-generic perspective, which also encompasses cinema, opera, and dance. Emphasis is placed on the concrete modalities of character construction through the conditions of existence in a given era, in accordance with prevailing norms, or through a comparative dialogue across various artistic fields. How do multiple arts or forms of expression interact in the shaping, alteration, or even dissolution of a character? Furthermore, most of the contributions revisit questions long sidelined by structuralist narratology and Barthesian semiology regarding the status of the character—its capacity to "leap off the page," migrate from one work to another, elicit empathetic identification, and inhabit possible worlds.

The volume addresses the construction of fictional figures by examining how historical conditions, prevailing norms and interartistic dialogues shape their creation or dissolution. By bringing together perspectives from literature, cinema, opera and dance, the collection engages with questions concerning the migration of figures between works, empathetic identification and the habitation of possible worlds. These inquiries reflect ongoing debates within narratology and aesthetic theory regarding the status and autonomy of figures across diverse artistic mediums.

Readers interested in the evolution of narrative forms, intermedial studies and the theoretical status of figures across literature and the arts may find this collection relevant. The contributions provide a comparative examination of how expressive forms interact in shaping the identity and presence of characters within various cultural and historical frameworks, engaging with methodologies that bridge traditional narratological concerns with contemporary approaches to fiction.