Book contents
- The Cambridge History of the Novel in French
- The Cambridge History of the Novel in French
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Conventions
- Chronology
- Introduction
- Part I Beginnings: From the Late Medieval to Madame de Lafayette
- Part II The Eighteenth Century: Learning, Letters, Libertinage
- Part III After the Revolution: The Novel in the Long Nineteenth Century
- Part IV From Naturalism to the Nouveau Roman
- Part V Fictions of the Fifth Republic: From de Gaulle to the Internet Age
- 30 Oulipo, Experiment and the Novel
- 31 Theories of the Novel
- 32 The Caribbean Novel in French, 1958–2016
- 33 The North African Novel in French
- 34 Sub-Saharan Africa and the Novel in French
- 35 The Translingual Novel in French
- 36 Literary Prizes
- 37 Autofiction: Writing Lives
- 38 Trends in the Novel in French after 2000
- 39 Contemporary Women’s Writing in French
- 40 The Novel in French and the Internet
- Index
- References
30 - Oulipo, Experiment and the Novel
from Part V - Fictions of the Fifth Republic: From de Gaulle to the Internet Age
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 February 2021
- The Cambridge History of the Novel in French
- The Cambridge History of the Novel in French
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Conventions
- Chronology
- Introduction
- Part I Beginnings: From the Late Medieval to Madame de Lafayette
- Part II The Eighteenth Century: Learning, Letters, Libertinage
- Part III After the Revolution: The Novel in the Long Nineteenth Century
- Part IV From Naturalism to the Nouveau Roman
- Part V Fictions of the Fifth Republic: From de Gaulle to the Internet Age
- 30 Oulipo, Experiment and the Novel
- 31 Theories of the Novel
- 32 The Caribbean Novel in French, 1958–2016
- 33 The North African Novel in French
- 34 Sub-Saharan Africa and the Novel in French
- 35 The Translingual Novel in French
- 36 Literary Prizes
- 37 Autofiction: Writing Lives
- 38 Trends in the Novel in French after 2000
- 39 Contemporary Women’s Writing in French
- 40 The Novel in French and the Internet
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter explores the novel-writing of the experimental writing collective the Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle (Oulipo). Despite the seeming mismatch between the Oulipo's attachment to form and the perceived formlessness of the novel, many oulipians have experimented with writing novels. This chapter begins by considering how oulipians have re-invented the novel form via the transposition of structures and constraints from other genres and disciplines. It then reflects on the various functions of these structures and constraints arguing that, while some serve primarily as architectural devices or creative stimuli, others are intrinsically meaningful. In particular I reflect on the ways in which oulipian-authored novels explore the relationship between self and system, and between the individual and the collective. Indeed, oulipian-authored novels often bear the collective stamp of the Oulipo. As this chapter argues, the group has developed a compelling shared imaginary that marks its novelistic production and that raises questions concerning authorship and creative ownership. Lastly, this chapter considers the ways in which oulipian-authored novels frequently invite the reader into a literary game that draws out his or her own creative potential.
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- The Cambridge History of the Novel in French , pp. 543 - 560Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021