French Literature Reviews - 2026

The Torn Collection. A Study of Refus global
Other Literary Studies

Julie GAUDREAULT, Le recueil écartelé. Étude de Refus global, Québec, Nota Bene (Études), 2007.
ISBN 978-2-89518-19

ABSTRACT

The mere name of Refus global evokes both celebration and controversy. In 1948, the short polemical text bearing this title burst into Quebec's social discourse as an inflammatory and uncompromising manifesto. Yet, for nearly fifty years, it has been the subject of rich and varied critique, constantly focused on defining and questioning the notion of the "we." Its title eventually became a commonplace, gradually detaching the text from its original context of publication—the eponymous collection, whose genesis is nevertheless far from negligible.

A rare and complex object, both in its nature and structure, as well as a collective work, the Refus global collection is imbued with both a refined craftsmanship and a rustic quality that constitute its beauty and significance. Consequently, the focus of Julie Gaudreault's reflection is not so much the text itself—alternately praised and decried—as the collection that conveyed it. This study explores the compelling links between the history of this somewhat forgotten collection and the poetics of a hybrid, plural literary form.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie Gaudreault is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Literatures at Université Laval. She is also a researcher at the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la littérature et la culture québécoises (CRILCQ).

The 1948 publication Refus global is a polemical text in Quebec's social discourse. While the manifesto is often analyzed, the collection that housed it is the focus of Julie Gaudreault's study. This work explores the history of the collection and the poetics of its hybrid, plural literary form, examining the intersection of its craftsmanship and its collective nature.

The study situates the publication within the broader tradition of manifestos that utilize hybrid, plural formats to challenge cultural norms. Readers interested in the history of Quebecois literature and the evolution of the manifesto as a genre may find this analysis of the collection's history relevant.