Some Considerations on the Problem of Authenticity and Fashion in the XXth Century French Literature

Abstract

Literature, as a social activity, necessarily implies certain marks of a definite cultural, political and economic environment, reflecting the spirit of the epoch that engendered it. Resulting from the creative act of its author, the literary work inherits specific features of the style, ideology, knowledge and personal attitudes of the writer, thing that makes the work authentic, original and autotelic. At the same time, the artistic activity is inconceivable out of the society, so that the social institutions, mentalities and collective preferences influence the author’s choices in matters of vocabulary, syntax, spelling etc. Thus, it is legitimate to speak about a “fashion” phenomenon related to language and literature. This article offers a reflection on the confluence of the authors’ authentic voices and the language trends desideratum within literary works of the XXth century French Literature

Keywords

• literature
• society
• fashion
• language trend
• authenticity
• french literature
• xxth century literature