Debate on the Writer’s Responsibility in France and the United States from the 1920s to the 1950s
Keywords:
Responsibility, intellectuals, committed literature, Romanticism, Classicism, literary quarrelsAbstract
The debate on the responsibility of the writer was, in France as in the USA, an attack against literary and artistic modernism. From Charles Maurras to Irving Babbit, the reaction against modernism presented itself as a defense of Classicism and of tradition against Romanticism. Far from being politically neutral, this attack identified Romanticism with revolution and the destruction of the social order. The opposition between responsibility and freedom structured the debate from the end of the 19th century until World War II. The war entailed a loss of autonomy of the literary field which fostered, like during World War I, the imposition of national moralism. In both countries, a debate arose on the question of the responsibility of the writer, but it took a different form. Whereas the opposition between art for art’s sake and responsibility continued to structure it in the USA, the notion of responsibility was appropriated in France by the literary Resistance and redefined by Sartre at the Liberationdoi 10.17072/2219-3111-2017-4-148-161References
Библиографический список
Béraud, H. (1924). La Croisade des longues figures. Paris: Editions du siècle. 159 p.
Boschetti, A. (1985). Sartre et«tes Temps modernes».Paris: Minuit. 326 p.
Bourdieu, P. (1980). Le Nord et le Midi: contribution à une analyse de l’effet Montesquieu. Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, 35, 21–25.
Bourget, P. (1901). Préface. Essais de psychologie contemporaine. Paris: Plon. 322 p.
Cassagne, A, (1997). La Théorie de l’art pour l'art en France chez les derniers romantiques et les
premiers réalistes. Paris: Champ Vallon. 427 p.
Charle, C. (1990). Naissance des«intellectuels» 1880–1900. Paris: Minuit, 272 p.
Comick, M. (1995). The Nouvelle Revue française under Jean Paulhan, 1925–1940. Amsterdam:
Rodopi.
Erber, N. (1996). The French dials of Oscar Wilde. Journal of the History of Sexuality, 6,549–588.
Gilbert, J. B. (1968). Writers and partisans: a history of literary radicalism in America. New York:
Wiley.
Grémion, P. (1995). Intelligence de l'anticommunisme. Le Congrès pour la liberté de la culture à Paris 1950–1975. Paris: Fayard. 645 p.
Guilbaut, S. (1983). How New York stole the idea of modem art: abstract expressionism, freedom, and the Cold War (A. Goldhammer, Trans.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 288 p.
Hewitt, N, (1996). Literature and the right in postwar France. The story of the
«Hussards».Washington: Berg. 218 p.
Kaplan, A. (2000). The collaborator. The trial and execution of Robert Brasillach. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 336 p.
Karanikas, A. (1969).Tillers of a myth. Southern agrarians as social and literary critics. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press. 250 p.
Lasserre, P. (1907). Le Romantisme Français. Essai sur la Révolution dans les sentiments et dans les idées au XIXe siècle. Paris: Mercure de France, 547 p.
MacLeish, A. (1940). The irresponsible. A declaration.New York: DuellSloan and Pierce. Р. 24–25.
Massis, H. (1924). Jugements. T. 2. Paris: Plon. 294 p.
Maurras, C. (1927). Le Romantisme féminin. In: Maurras C. (Ed.), L’Avenir de l’intelligence, suivi de Auguste Comte, Le romantisme féminin, Mademoiselle Monk, L’invocation à Minerve. Paris: Flammarion. Original work published, 1906. 334 p.
Nguyen, N. (1991). Aux origines de l'Action française. Intelligence et politique à l’aube du XXe siècle. Paris: Fayard, 960 p.
Péret, B. (1965). Le Déshonneur des poètes. Paris: Pau vert. 63 p.
Prochasson, C. & Rasmussen, A. (1996). Au nom de la patrie. Les intellectuels et la première guerre mondiale (1910–1919). Paris: La Découverte. 302 p.
Rivière, J. (1919). La Nouvelle Revue française. La NRF. 69(1).
Robbe-Grillet, A. (1966). Pour un nouveau roman. Paris: Minuit, 1961. 152 p.; English trans.:For a new novel: essays on fiction (R. Howard, Trans.). New York: Grove Press, 1966, 175 p.
Sapito, G. (1999). La Guerre des écrivains, 1940–1953. Paris: Fayard.807 p.
Sapiro, G. (2006a). Responsibility and freedom: foundations of Sartre’s concept of intellectual engagement. Journal of Romance Studies. 6(1–2), 31–48.
Sapiro, G. (2006b). Portrait of the writer as a traitor: the French purge trials (1944–1953). EREA, 4(2).
Retrieved from http://www.e-rea.org/.
Sapiro, G. (2007). The writer’s responsibility in France: from Flaubert to Sartre. French Politics, Culture and Society. 25(1), 1–29.
Sapiro, G. (2010). La Responsabilité de l’écrivain. Paris: Seuil. In Press. 752 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1944). La littérature, cette liberté! Les Lettres françaises. 15. April.
Sartre, J.-P. (1975a).La nationalisation de la littérature. Situations II. Qu’est-ce que la littérature? Paris: Gallimard. Original work published November 1945. 384 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1975b). Présentation des Temps Modernes. Situations II. Qu’est-ce que la littérature?
Paris: Gallimard. Original work published. 1945. October.
Sartre, J.-P. (1975c). Baudelaire. Paris: Gallimard. 245 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1987). L’Etre et le néant. Essai d’ontologie phénoménologique. Paris: Gallimard, 1943.
p.; English trans.: Being and nothingness (H. E. Barnes, Trans,). New York: Philosophical Library, 1956. 864 p. Рус. перевод: Сартр Ж.-П. Бытие и ничто. М.: Республика, 2000. 928 c.
Sartre, J.-P. (1993). La liberté cartésienne. Critiques littéraires. Situations I. Paris: Gallimard. «Folio», 1993: Р. 289–308; Рус. перевод:Сартр Ж.-П. Проблемы метода. Статьи / перев. с франц. В.П. Гайдамака. М.: Академический Проект, 2008, 224 c.
Sartre, J.-P. (1998). La Responsabilité de l’écrivain. Paris: Verdier. 60 p.
Saunders, F. S. (1999). The cultural cold war. The CIA and the world of arts and letters. New York: The New Press. 528 p.
Segall, J. (1993). Joyce in America. Cultural politics and the trials of Ulysses. Berkeley: University of California Press. 220 p.
Simonin, A. (1996). La littérature saisie par l’Histoire. Nouveau Roman et guerre d’Algérie aux Éditions de Minuit Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales. 111–112. 69–71.
Tate, A. (1970). Essays of four decades. London: Oxford University Press. 640 p.
References
Béraud, H. (1924), La Croisade des longues figures, Editions du siècle, Paris, France, 159 p.
Boschetti, A. (1985), Sartre et «tes Temps modernes», Minuit, Paris, France, 326 p.
Bourdieu, P. (1980), Le Nord et le Midi: contribution à une analyse de l’effet Montesquieu, Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, 35, 21–25.
Bourget, P. (1901), Préface. Essais de psychologie contemporaine, Plon, Paris, France, 322 p.
Cassagne, A, (1997), La Théorie de l’art pour l'art en France chez les derniers romantiques et les premiers realists,
Champ Vallon, Paris, France, 427 p.
Charle, C. (1990), Naissance des«intellectuels» 1880–1900, Minuit, Pari, France, 272 p.
Comick, M. (1995), The Nouvelle Revue française under Jean Paulhan, 1925–1940, Rodopi, Amsterdam, Holland.
Erber, N. (1996), The French dials of Oscar Wilde, Journal of the History of Sexuality, 6, 549–588.
Gilbert, J. B. (1968), Writers and partisans: a history of literary radicalism in America, Wiley, New York, USA.
Grémion, P. (1995), Intelligence de l'anticommunisme. Le Congrès pour la liberté de la culture à Paris 1950–1975, Fayard, Paris, France, 645 p.
Guilbaut, S. (1983), How New York stole the idea of modem art: abstract expressionism, freedom, and the Cold War (A. Goldhammer, Trans.), The University of Chicago Press Chicago, USA, 288 p.
Hewitt, N, (1996), Literature and the right in postwar France. The story of the «Hussards», Berg, Washington, USA, 218 p.
Kaplan, A. (2000), The collaborator. The trial and execution of Robert Brasillach, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA, 336 p.
Karanikas, A. (1969), Tillers of a myth. Southern agrarians as social and literary critics, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, USA, 250 p.
Lasserre, P. (1907), Le Romantisme Français. Essai sur la Révolution dans les sentiments et dans les idées au XIXe siècle, Mercure de France, Paris, France, 547 p.
MacLeish, A. (1940), The irresponsible. A declaration, DuellSloan and Pierce, New York, USA, pp. 24-25.
Massis, H. (1924), Jugements, t. II, Plon, Paris, France, 294 p.
Maurras, C. (1927), Le Romantisme féminin, in C. Maurras (Ed.), L’Avenir de l’intelligence, suivi de Auguste Comte, Le romantisme féminin, Mademoiselle Monk, L’invocation à Minerve, Flammarion, Paris France.
Nguyen, N. (1991), Aux origines de l'Action française. Intelligence et politique à l’aube du XXe siècle, Fayard, Paris, France, 960 p.
Péret, B. (1965), Le Déshonneur des poètes, Pau vert, Paris, France, 63 p.
Prochasson, C.&Rasmussen, A. (1996), Au nom de la patrie. Les intellectuels et la première guerre mondiale (1910- 1919), La Découverte, Paris, France, 302 p.
Rivière, J. (1919), La Nouvelle Revue française, La NRF, 69(1).
Robbe-Grillet, A. (1966), Pour un nouveau roman, Minuit, Paris, France, 152 p.
Sapito, G. (1999), La Guerre des écrivains, 1940–1953, Fayard, Paris, France, 807 p.
Sapiro, G. (2006a), Responsibility and freedom: foundations of Sartre’s concept of intellectual engagement, Journal of Romance Studies, 6(1–2), 31–48.
Sapiro, G. (2006b), Portrait of the writer as a traitor: the French purge trials (1944–1953), EREA, 4(2), available at: http://www.e-rea.org/ (accessed 30.11.2017).
Sapiro, G. (2007), The writer’s responsibility in France: from Flaubert to Sartre, French Politics, Culture and Society, 25(1), 1–29.
Sapiro, G. (2010), La Responsabilité de l’écrivain, Seuil. In Press, Paris, France, 752 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1944), La littérature, cette liberté!, Les Lettres françaises, April 15.
Sartre, J.-P. (1975a), La nationalisation de la littérature. Situations II. Qu’est-ce que la littérature?, Gallimard, Paris, France, 384 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1975b), Présentation des Temps Modernes. Situations II. Qu’est-ce que la littérature?, Gallimard, Paris, France.
Sartre, J.-P. (1975c), Baudelaire, Gallimard, Paris, France, 245 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1987), L’Etre et le néant. Essai d’ontologie phénoménologique, Gallimard, Paris, France, 848 p.
Sartre, J.-P. (1993), La liberté cartésienne. Critiques littéraires. Situations I, Gallimard. «Folio», Paris, France,
p. 289–308.
Sartre, J.-P. (1998), La Responsabilité de l’écrivain, Verdier, Paris, France, 60 p.
Saunders, F. S. (1999), The cultural cold war. The CIA and the world of arts and letters, The New Press, New York, USA, 528 p.
Segall, J. (1993), Joyce in America. Cultural politics and the trials of Ulysses, University of California Press, Berkeley, USA, 220 p.
Simonin, A. (1996), La littérature saisie par l’Histoire. Nouveau Roman et guerre d’Algérie aux Éditions de Minuit, Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, 111-112, 69–71.
Tate, A. (1970), Essays of four decades, Oxford University Press, London, UK, 640 p.
