French Literature Reviews - 2026

The Deluge and Its Narratives: Semiotic Perspectives
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

ASTER Research Group, Le déluge et ses récits : points de vue sémiotiques, Sainte-Foy, Presses de l'Université Laval, 2005, 204 p.

ISBN : 2-7637-8265-5

How is a figure such as the deluge, drawn from our cultural heritage, taken up, interpreted, and resemantized within discourse? The Atelier de sémiotique du texte religieux (ASTER) research group addresses this question through a corpus of texts from various eras and genres. By analyzing the Genesis narrative, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and works by Supervielle, Caillois, Le Clézio, Frenette, Deleuze, and Augustine, the study demonstrates the relevance of a semiotic approach focused on how meaning manifests in texts. Bringing together these flood narratives also aims to offer a new reading context that sheds light on the richness and functioning of this literary trope.

The deluge functions as a foundational archetype within Western and Near Eastern cultural traditions, representing both a destructive catastrophe and a potential for renewal. The semiotic approach focuses on the mechanisms of signification, investigating how the flood myth is adapted and resemantized across different historical periods and genres. Readers interested in the intersection of religious studies and narrative analysis may find this collection of essays relevant to their research.

This collection situates the flood narrative within a spectrum of literary and philosophical discourse, ranging from ancient accounts like the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Genesis narrative to modern works by authors such as Supervielle, Caillois, and Le Clézio. The analysis emphasizes the functioning of this trope, illustrating how specific semiotic frameworks allow for the interpretation of cultural symbols as they are taken up and transformed within various textual environments.