University of Connecticut

Faculty Member, Literatures, Cultures & Languages

Thesis Title: A study of the representations of a resistant humanity in futuristic novels in French and Francophone contemporary literature

About

My thesis, “A study of the representations of a resistant humanity in futuristic novels in contemporary French and Francophone literatures,” explores a recurrent concern regarding the very limits of what constitutes the human, a concern that inspires most of the futuristic novels in contemporary French-language literature dealing with the radical changes experienced by humankind. Through the study of narratives that feature characters who “long to be written,” my dissertation research mainly focuses on how literary and philosophical metaphors dating as far back as Antiquity, such as “the book of nature” and the “book of the world,” are essential to an understanding of the digital age and of the advent of a “post-humanity”, as well as the dystopias that preceded them.

My approach is also inspired by my previous professional experiences. While working in France as a multimedia manager, first for Le Forum des images, a cultural institution devoted to the cinematic memory of Paris and then for the city of Nanterre, I completed a master’s degree in media studies as a means of developing a theoretical understanding of my practical experiences on the job. Subsequently, I have been able to use this knowledge to broaden the scope of my literary interpretations and to improve my teaching with this ameliorated comprehension of and experience with the use of modern media.


Works studied:

Bordage, Pierre. Les Derniers Hommes. Paris: J'ai lu, 2005.
Houellebecq, Michel. La Possibilité D'une Île. Paris: Fayard, 2005.
Maalouf, Amin. Le Premier Siècle Après Béatrice: Roman. Paris: B. Grasset, 1992.
Nothomb, Amélie. Acide Sulfurique: Roman. Paris: Albin Michel, 2005.
Rufin, Jean-Christophe. Globalia: Roman. Paris: Gallimard, 2004.
Volodine, Antoine. Songes De Mevlido: Roman. Paris: Seuil, 2007.
Vonarburg, Elisabeth. Le Silence De La Cité. Québec: Éditions Alire, 1998.