The Representation Of Banlieues In Contemporary French Literature: A New Form Of Engaged Realism?
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Date
2024
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Ankara Üniversitesi
Abstract
This article aims to address the following questions: What form does the representation of
the banlieues imaginary take in contemporary French literature, and what position does it
occupy within the literary eld? Can we speak of a new form of mimesis of reality? To
explore these questions, three works have been selected from contemporary French
literature that represent this imaginary, each written by a different author: Lydie
Salvayre's Les belles Âmes (2000), Olivier Adam's Les Lisières (2012) and Mahir Guven's
Grand frère (2017). This selection allows for a sufciently diverse range of works and
author proles, offering relevant insights. The article will begin by analyzing the media
portrayal of the banlieues in France and the collective imaginary constructed around this
space. It will then analyze how contemporary novels, including those in our corpus,
reconnect ctional narrative with social reality by attempting to "heal" from the
antinarrativism of modernity. It will also address the concept of engaged realism present
in the three novels, focusing on the question of legitimacy in writing about, for, and on
behalf of the banlieues. A nal section will be dedicated to the techniques of realism in the
corpus, through an analysis of these narrative techniques in the three novels. The
conclusion will summarize our research and present observations regarding the answer to
the question of the presence of a new peri-urban realism in contemporary French
literature.
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Keywords
Banlieues, Realism, Narrative Analysis, Contemporary French Literature