On both sides of the tracks : social mobility in contemporary French literature / Morgane Cadieu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cadieu, Morgane, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

French fiction--21st century--History and criticism.

French fiction.

Social mobility in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (362 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2024.

Summary:

"Social climbers have often been the core characters of novels. Their position between traditional tiers in society makes them a touchstone for any political and literary moment, including our own. Morgane Cadieu's study looks at a certain kind of contemporary social climber in French literature whom she calls the parvenant. Taken from the French term parvenu, which refers to one who is newly arrived, a parvenant is a character who shuttles between social groups. A parvenant may reach the level of another social class, but devises literary ways to come back, constantly undoing any fixed ideas of social affiliation. Focusing on recent French novels and autobiographies, On Both Sides of the Tracks speaks powerfully to issues of emancipation and class. Cadieu offers a fresh, critical look at tales of upward mobility in the work of Annie Ernaux, Kaoutar Harchi, Michel Houellebecq, Édouard Louis, and Marie NDiaye, shedding fascinating light on social mobility today as a formal, literary problem"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Note on Citations

Introduction: The Parvenant

1. Rastignac Redux

2. The Muddy Parvenant, Then and Now

3. The Transient Body of the Transclass

4. Self-Maid? The Social Mobility of Literary and Cinematic Servants

5. A Foot in the Door: Passing on Social Mobility

6. Travel Class: From the Ladder to the Train

7. From Rastignac to Subutex: The Immobilization of the Fictional Character

Conclusion: A Demoted Canon

Acknowledgments

Notes

Works Cited

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Cadieu, Morgane On Both Sides of the Tracks

ISBN:

9780226830353

0226830357

OCLC:

1409027709