Çédille, Journal of French Studies

Presentación del nº 27 de Çédille

José M. Oliver Frade — 2025-05-02

Presentación del nº 27 de Cédille. Novedades

The Challenges of Collaborative Writing in Nineteenth-Century French Popular Literature. Foreword

Mª Carme Figuerola Cabrol — 2025-05-02

Avant-propos du dossier Les enjeux de l'écriture collaborative dans la littérature populaire française du XIX^e siècle.

Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet: Four Hands and Two Lawyers

Claude Schopp — 2025-05-02

The article focuses on the literary collaboration between Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet, exploring their working dynamics and the controversies that arose over the authorship of works signed by Dumas. It aims to analyse the tensions between the two writers, the debates about the real contributions of Maquet and Dumas and the exact nature of their collaboration. It will underline the extent to which the professional relationship between the two was a source of criticism and litigation, so that their disagreement even reached a judicial level. The study reflects on how Dumas justified his collaborative practice, comparing it to that of great figures such as Napoleon and Shakespeare. However, it also highlights the less positive aspects of this practice.

Serial Novel and Collaborative Writing: the Throes of “Industrial Literature”

Isabelle Bes Hoghton — 2025-05-02

The commodification of literature in the 19th century, which had become mass culture, poses the problem of moral scandal and limits that should not be exceeded. The study of collaborative writing involving three great serial novelists reveals new abuses. By looking at the association between Eugène Sue and Prosper Goubaux, Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet, and Jules Verne and André Laurie, we have analysed the evolution of the new editorial world from the July Monarchy to the Third Republic: from a phenomenon born and facilitated by the customs of theatrical work and its “commercial associations” to the throes of the serial novel to end with the all-powerful figure of the capitalist publisher.

George Sand versus Maurice Sand: a Problematic Collaboration

Àngels Santa — 2025-05-02

George Sand always felt very close to her son. Since his birth he occupied a privilegad place in her life. This is shown by the correspondence that both aintained, especially during Maurice's childhood. Since the trip to Mallorca in 1838 together with Solange, tre writer's daugther, and Chopin, her lover. Maurice lives in Nohant with his mother most of the time. Very gifted in drawing, he collaborates with his mother on the illustration of her complete works. That collaboration extnds to writing. In the novels that Maurice writes we find the trace of his mother. As is the case with "Mademoisellle de Cérignan", a novel that is an example of their collaboration without a doubt.

Prosper-Parfait Goubaux's Collaboration in Eugène Sue's Literary Production

Ángela Magdalena Romera Pintor — 2025-05-02

This study analyses the friendship between Eugène Sue and Goubaux, as well as the collaboration of the latter in the literary production of the former. First, we study the collaborative procedure of Goubaux and his explicit collaboration in the theatrical adaptations of Sue’s novels. Then, we examine in more detail the possible contribution of Goubaux in the conception and the composition of two novels of Sue, Arhtur and Les Mystères de Paris, by means of a documented analysis of their contemporaries’ affirmations, as well as the press of their time, all of which allow us to confirm Goubaux’s contribution in both novels through his literary counsel and suggestions.

Erckmann-Chatrian : « deux plumes jumelles » ? Heurs et malheurs de l’écriture en collaboration

Noëlle Benhamou — 2025-05-02

Erckmann and Chatrian collaborated from 1847 to 1887 and wrote collections of short stories, novels, and plays under a dual name. Journalists thought they were a single author, while Pierre Larousse called them « the twin writers » and « the Siamese brothers of contemporary literature. » But this four-handed literary enterprise came to an end when Chatrian confessed to Erckmann that he was paying ghostwriters for theatrical adaptations on behalf of his colleague and friend. Having the services of collaborators outside the duo put an end to a friendship and a system that had worked for forty years. Their resounding separation led to a trial to determine who really had the pen.

Fantômas, the Technology of Evil?

Esther Juan Oliva — 2025-05-02

The Fantômas series of novels, written by Pierre Souvestree and Marcel Allain at the beginning of the 20^th century, is an example of popular literature written by four hands. We know something about how it war written thanks to Allain’s later account. However, to unravel the participation of each one of the authors in the original series and the choices made by Allain in the later episodes, we will explore a sample of each period, as well as the film adaptations to which they gave rise. Our common thread will be technology, as a means to convey the story but also as a theme, as a representation of modernity or a threat.

Keywords: collaborative writing, popular literature, detective novel

Yours, mine and ours: J.-H. Rosny Works Authorship

María del Mar Jiménez-Cervantes Arnao — 2025-05-02

J.-H. Rosny brothers started their literary production in 1887, seeking recognition in the French literary world at the end of XIX century. In 1935, almost thirty years after their separation, they signed an agreement to assign individual authorship to some of their coauthored works. Our study aims to verify if that distribution has been observed in later editions of those works in France and Spain, and to compare the personal work of the brothers during their collaboration. For this purpose, we have consulted the catalogues of the national libraries of both countries.

Les Margueritte parmi leurs contemporains : la réception d’une écriture en duo

Mª Carme Figuerola Cabrol — 2025-05-02

This article aims to analyse the factors that contributed to establishing the Margueritte brothers' status as writers. To this end, after some considerations on the consideration of the literary field in nineteenth-century France, the subject will focus on the circumstances that determined their entry and subsequent recognition among the contemporary public: the influence of their father figure, General Margueritte, an esteemed patriot who formed part of the French imaginary; their friendship and relations with exponents of the literature of the time (Zola, the Goncourts, Daudet, among others); the phenomenon of collaborative writing, a fashion that had a controversial reception; and the very existence of the writers, which took on a public dimension to which the Margueritte were not oblivious.

Psyche and Zoomorphism in Georges Horan-Koiransky's Internment Diary (1942-1943)

José Luis Arráez Llobregat — 2025-05-02

Georges Horan-Koiransky, in Journal d’un interné. Drancy 1942-1943, makes a recurrent use of images of real and fantastical animals to evoke his imprisonment. Two parallel and complementary perspectives, psychoanalysis and mythocriticism, shall provide the means for revealing and analysing the issues at stake. Psychoanalysis will enable us to establish a link between the use of figurative language and the post-traumatic stress disorders resulting from Georges’ imprisonment in the PQJ and the transit camps. Once we have examined the psyche of the diarist, a mitocritical approach based on G. Durand’s suggestions on the imagination will enable us to reveal the presence of zoomorphic images in his apprehension and interpretation of the universe within the walls of the places of imprisonment.

Artificial Intelligence and Analysis of General Policy Statements in France from 2017 to 2024

Abdelhak Abderrahmane Bensebia — 2025-05-02

The aim of this contribution is to explore a political corpus consisting of general policy speeches of the Fifth French Republic from 2017 to 2024, using the methods and techniques of statistical analysis and hyperdeep. The aim of this study is to trace the history of this political ritual, characterize its linguistic evolution, understand its objectives and textual properties, and then analyze the singularities that define each Prime Minister and the rhetorical choices adopted. It's an exercise that demands particular attention, insofar as two factors will be considered. The first is historical. The historical-political context is often evoked to illuminate and paint a picture of the reforms undertaken. The first is to determine and understand what characterizes the two presidential terms in terms of political choices, in order to identify the linguistic choices made.

Annie Ernaux in the French Media Imaginary

Laurence Chagrin — 2025-05-02

In the last twenty years, there have been an increasing number of studies that broaden the scope of analysis from the literary text to the auctorial discourse and from text to peritext. Thus, conceptual tools were created, such as the “author’s image”, calling for a rethinking about the work’s process of recognition. We will examine the function of the media in Annie Ernaux’s trajectory, focusing on the author’s media image, whose construction draws on the author’s stereotypes in social imaginary. Despite the author’s controlling attempts, the media discourse imposes its interpretation of the work as a reflection of the writer’s psycho-social characteristics, avoiding the difficulties of literary critic and euphemising the political dimension of the texts.

Challenges of Socio-Historical Space in "Derrière la vitre", by Robert Merle

Ángel Clemente Escobar — 2025-05-02

Con Derrière la vitre, publicada en 1970, Robert Merle dedica una novela que es también un documento histórico al preámbulo de Mayo del 68 que suponen los sucesos del 22 de marzo de 1968 en Nanterre. Como han señalado estudiosos de la época como Lefebvre o David Harvey, las particularidades del espacio de la facultad y su entorno fueron uno de los desencadenantes directos de la insurrección estudiantil, y la novela de Merle lo refleja otorgando al espacio un papel fundamental, utilizándolo para construir una respuesta, que es al mismo tiempo una interpretación, a algunos de los problemas sociales de la época. De este modo, el objetivo de este trabajo es interrogar el espacio literario de esta novela a la luz de los temas y problemas sociales de la época, más concretamente los problemas relativos al ámbito universitario en general y a Nanterre en particular.

"To Hell with the Ugly", Adaptation of Boris Vian's Roman Noir: Irony and Humour "Made in USA"

Ainhoa Cusácovich Torres — 2025-05-02

The adaptation of a novel into a video game is always a challenge, even more when it involves a work full of humorous elements like absurdity, irony, or sarcasm. This is the case with To Hell with the Ugly, by Boris Vian (1948) that the production company La Poule Noire has masterfully brought to life in the game. In this work, we will analyze how the creators have made use of the literary genre: noir fiction, which has provided a structure and characteristics very suitable for this type of transmedia storytelling. Additionally, we will examine how they have translated Vian's humor into the playful creation, crossing the boundaries of the novel and enriching it with atmosphere and dialogue.

Autopsy of the Fleeing Memory in "A Thousand Years, One Day" by Edmond Amran El Maleh

Sallem El Azouzi — 2025-05-02

The impossibility of grasping memory in modern literature is tantamount to the dispersion of the subject. A subject in search of himself from a liquid memory based on the principle of lability and looking for landmarks to solidify himself. This modernity is a revolution that has not been without its challenges. Proof of this can be found in the writings of Edmond Arman El Maleh, a French-speaking Moroccan writer, where the fragmentary takes over. We find new techniques resulting from an imagination led towards vagueness that informs about the previous reality of the writer. In A thousand years, one day, for example, all the new components obey sensory nuances that punctuate the space of the Malehian lie-true. The lack of precision and life in spaces between dreams and hallucinations is recovered by a sensory memory that calls us to order.

Narrative Strategies in Humanitarian Discourse

Ilham Elarrachi — 2025-05-02

Since the emergence of language, storytelling has always played a key role in creating social bonds between individuals. It allows the transmission of knowledge, values, and shared experiences, thus fostering cohesion within groups. All human societies have a founding narrative, common stories that shape their collective identity and strengthen social ties. In regard to humanitarian discourse, it also relies on these narrative principles to persuade and encourage humanitarian action. This article examines the various narrative strategies employed in this discourse, aimed at raising awareness, mobilizing funds, and legitimizing humanitarian actions, using techniques that capture attention and foster public engagement.

The Animal on the Fairground Theatre in the Age of Enlightenment: The Emergence of a Conscious Sensibility in "La Mort du bœuf gras" by Taconet

Ane Fernández San Martín — 2025-05-02

This study analyses the significance of zootextuality and zooscenography in drama representations of Parisians fairs and boulevards during the Enlightenment. Drawing on the comic tragedy La Mort du bœuf gras by Toussaint-Gaspard Taconet, known as «the Molière of the boulevard», we propose to explore the polyphony of the animal metaphor through the figure of the ox. This invites reflection on how popular theatre can be seen as a vector for an emerging awareness of alterity, at a time when questions about human nature and, by extension, animals, are becoming fundamental.

Keywords: zootextuality, zooscenography, alterity, La Mort du bœuf gras, Taconet.

Dramatic Monologue in the FLE Classroom: ‘Lettre dʼune Africaine à ses sœurs occidentales’ by Calixthe Beyala

Isabel Esther González Alarcón — 2025-05-02

We consider it relevant to reflect on the power of drama applied to the teaching of French as a foreign language. Through the study of theatrical adaptations of novels by female African writers, our university students will learn about the culture of other French-speaking countries. This method of work will allow us to give a voice to those female characters who, until now, have been reduced to silence. If Calixte Beyala, in Lettre dʼune Africaine à ses sœurs occidentales (1995), takes up the pen to describe the daily life of her people, we will be the spokespersons, the griots or troubadours of the stories that these women share with us, in first person, in French.

The Closed and the Open: The Representation of the City in Boudjedra's Novels

Khadija Maarir — 2025-05-02

With the subversive writings of literary modernity, space undergoes the law of referential de-anchoring. For R. Boudejdra, the city cannot be perceived independently of the historical issues of the question of memory and colonization. But the novelist's entire art consists of freeing urban space from its referential function to place it in a more complex structure, which engages in deep reflection on the future of Algeria. Boudjedra will then give us, with the city, a symbolic topography which summarizes the multiple crises of the subject and the community, including the symptomatic transition from the drama of colonization to that of radicalism.

The Photo Novel or Photographic Aesthetics in "L'Appareil-photo" by Jean-Philippe Toussaint

Assia Marfouq — 2025-05-02

This article examines how L’Appareil-photo by Jean-Philippe Toussaint transposes the photographic aesthetic into literary narration. We analyze how fragmentation, instantaneity, and non-writing structure the narrative by favoring contemplation over action. Through image-scenes, the author freezes ephemeral moments and invites a perception of suspended time. This photographic aesthetic, based on minimalism and discontinuity, aligns with the legacy of postmodernism and the Nouveau Roman, deconstructing traditional narrative conventions. The text thus becomes a space where the image takes precedence over the plot, redefining the poetics of the contemporary novel.

Towards a Playful Witchcraft Made in France: Intermediality and the Imaginary in "Marianne"

Mercedes Montoro Araque — 2025-05-02

Inspired by the practice of palimpsest and inter-artistic dialogue, the French TV series Marianne (Bodin, 2019) reconfigures the archetype of the witch, based on the mythical canon of Lilith. From the childhood and adolescence of the protagonist, with her fears and guilt, a “playful witchcraft” made in France emerges, in an apparently stable reality. The multiple intermedial and symbolic procedures used in the dramaturgy of the series will lead me, on the one hand, to demonstrate how this contemporary witchcraft, not devoid of playfulness, leads to the dissolution of the reality/fiction dichotomy. And on the other, how this sinister dimension, originating in pristine nature and a primeval forest –filmed in Brittany–, is recreated and re-signified now, as a “subjective construction”, subjected to “interaction” (Roas, 2011: 26, 22).

The Complexities of the Mother-Daughter Relationship and Maternal Illness in Annie Ernaux's Literature

Iraide Pérez Blanco — 2025-05-02

Annie Ernaux explores the different stages of women’s lives, with particular attention to the stage of old age and its deseases . The Nobel prize laureate, uses precise language to express the complexity of aging, addressing taboos and transforming the understanding of these experiences. Through the mother-daughter, Ernaux challenges perceptions and demonstrates courage and authenticity. Her objective and honest work positions her as a prominent figure in the extreme contemporary literature.

Keywords : female identity, daughter, illness, mother, “age studies”.

Translating Spanish Culture in an Audiovisual Work: The Case of "Paquita Salas" and its French Subtitling

Beatriz Reverter Oliver — 2025-05-02

This article presents the results of a mixed study that analyses the French subtitling of the cultural references that appear in the sitcom Paquita Salas. The objectives include identifying and classifying these references and detecting tendencies in translation techniques and methods (foreignising or familiarising). Two hypotheses are posed: that the referents will mainly relate to Spanish celebrities and that the majority will be foreignised. The results show a predominance of colloquialisms and foul expressions, and of mentions of Spanish celebrities or media products. The main technique is borrowing, so that, in general, the referents are maintained, which raises questions about the effectiveness of the translation in conveying its effect or function.

How are the Beliefs of Pre-service French Teachers Reflected in their Development of Didactic Sequences?

Raquel Sanz Moreno — 2025-05-02

In this article we aim to combine two studies with a common objective: after investigating the beliefs of FLE trainee teachers about grammar teaching (E1), we analyze the teaching sequences they create as part of their specialized training process in the master’s degree in Secondary Education at the University of Valencia (E2). Our main aim is to find out how the beliefs expressed about methodological criteria that should be applied in the classroom and about preferred teaching practices are reflected in the teaching materials they design. The results show that the most valued and consolidated beliefs are illustrated in the sequences, such as working from the students’ own examples or reflecting on language in small groups.

An Ecopoetic and Ecocritical Approach to the Futuristic, Fantastic and Scientific Short Story "Le Tout-au-ciel", by Rachilde

Soledad Soria Berrocosa — 2025-05-02

In this article, we wish to bring to light a short novel by Rachilde (1860-1953). Le Tout-au-ciel was published in the Mercure de France in 1902 and significantly departs from everything Rachilde produced during her literary career. It depicts a fantastic, scientific and futuristic.

Through this text, the author takes the opportunity to deliver a harsh critique of progress and its ecological consequences, while also condemning politicians for their harmful policies in the name of that very progress. Her perplexity and irritation lead her to unleash the wildest mechanisms of her imagination to wage her own ecological battle.

General Translation and Idiomatisation: Thirty French-Spanish Contrastive Notes via "Waven"

Daniel Ricardo Soto Bueno — 2025-05-02

This paper addresses idiomatization from the perspective of French-Spanish general translation. Firstly, its aim is to show in which way idiomatization appears in the Spanish version of the video game Waven. To do so, thirty French-Spanish contrastive categories based on a reference bibliography and the very practice of translation and editing are studied. The working hypothesis confirmed by this corpus analysis is that Waven makes possible to illustrate the collected contrastive categories. This research shows the idiomatic quality of the selected extracts and, at the same time, provides a useful collection of examples for students of French-Spanish general translation.

Barbey D’Aurevilly as the Cornerstone of a Game of Epostracism

Clara-Cristina Adame de Heu — 2025-05-02

Reseña del libro de Jean-François Roseau, Les rêveries de Barbey (París, Le Cherche-Midi, colección Les Passe-Murailles, 2023, 187 p., ISBN: 978-2-7491-7600-0).

Putting an End to the Backward, Mediocre Middle Ages

Adriana Lasticova — 2025-05-02

This is the review of Martin Aurell's book Dix idées reçues sur le Moyen Âge

Willy Ronis: Photographic and Scriptural Dialogues

Assia Marfouq — 2025-05-02

Review of Vincent Metzger's book, Willy Ronis. Écriture/Photographie (Paris, L’Harmattan, 2025, 131 pages. ISBN: 978-2-336-51652-3).

Estrategias iconográficas de escritoras y autores queer: postura autorial y autopromoción

Carmen Pérez Rodríguez — 2025-05-02

Nota de lectura acerca del libro de Flavie Fouchard, Iconografía y autorías femeninas y queer. Perspectivas cruzadas Francia y España (siglos XIX-XX) (Granada, Comares, colección INTERLINGUA, 2024, 176 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1369-867-0)

Imposture as Revelation: The Dialectic of Memory in Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Eduardo San Martín Fermín — 2025-05-02