Lieux et “non-lieux” dans la tetralogie sur Marie de Jean-Philippe Toussaint

Abstract

The article retraces in brief the evolution of the litterary work of the French contemporary writer Jean-Philippe Toussaint, from his first novel, published in 1985, to what it is already called the Marie’s tetralogy, in the 2000s. The characteristics of the litterary world of the writer are mentioned as much as those of his litterary style. Then, the article analyses the meaning of the “places” and “nonplaces” (as they are conceived by the French anthropologist Marc Augé) throught the Marie’s tetralogy. The love relationship between the hero-narrator and Marie, among several breakups and reconciliations, is highly marked by the spaces where the lovers live or they travel.

Keywords

• french contemporary novel
• marc augé’s “places” and “non-places”
• western contemporary society