David Lodge ou l'esthétique du compromis

David lodge, or the aesthetics of compromise

• Auteur / Autrice : Catherine Mari
• Direction : Ronald Shusterman
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Études anglophones
• Date : Soutenance en 1994
• Etablissement(s) : Bordeaux 3

Mots clés

Mots clés contrôlés

Critique et interprétation

Lodge, David (1935-....)

Résumé

Cette etude vise a mettre en envidence le compromis qui fonde l'esthetique de l'ecrivain david lodge. Le realisme fondamental de ses romans - prolongement de son oeuvre critique qui apparait dans son ensemble comme une justification et, partant, une revalorisation de ce mode - est en effet tempere, defamiliarise et controle par l'inclusion de divers facteurs de distanciation. L'utilisation systematique du comique (a partir de the british museum is falling down) a, en premier lieu, permis cet ecart par rapport a une ecriture traditionnelle jugee par trop contraignante. Les termes de ce compromis d'ecriture sont d'autre part reconsideres pour chacun des romans qui privilegie un mode de distanciation different. Ainsi, lodge exploite successivement l'effet de retrait genere par la parodie systematique (the british museum is falling down), une structure symetique improbable (chamging places), la metafiction (how far can you go?), le carnavalesque (small world) et la stylisation (nice work). Ces divers procedes, signes d'une ecriture consciente d'elle-meme, font apparaitre ces romans comme des jeux d'ecriture mais ne sont jamais transgressifs. La specificite de l'ecriture de loge reside precisement dans cette parfaite integration de l'histoire et de ces modes de distanciation. En outre, l'etude chronologique des romans met a jour un retour progressif vers un realisme non distancie. Cette evolution, amorcee dans nice work qui se contente de l'ecart subtil de la stylisation, se confirme dans paradise news qui epouse sans restriction les conventions du mode realiste. La disparaition de l'ironie diminue sensiblement l'interet du lecteur. Ainsi, le compromis caracteristique de l'esthetique de lodge apparait egalement comme la condition sine qua non de la seduction qu'exercent ses romans.

This study aims at revealing the compromise that is at the base of david lodge's aesthetics. The fundamental realism of his novels - a logical extension of this critical work, which reads, on the whole, as a justification and thus an affirmation of the value of this mode of writing - is in fact qualified, defamiliarized and controlled through the use of various dista ncing devices. Primarily, the systematic use of comedy (from the british museum is falling down onwards) has allowed this departure from a traditional mode of writing considered (by lodge) as far too constraining. The terms of this writing compromise are moreover reconsidered in each of his novels, as each one favours a different distaneing device. Thus, lodge successively exploits the effect of withdrawal brought about by systematic parody (the british museum is falling down), an unlikely symmetrical structure (chamging places), metafiction (how far can you go?), the carnivalesque (small world), and stylization (nice work). These various processes, all signs of self-conscious writing, turn these novels into writing games, but never actually transgress realism. The specificity of lodge's writing consists precisely in the perfect integration of the story and these distancing devices. Furthermore, the chronological study of the novels reveals a progressive return to a straightforward realism. This evolution - initiated in nice work, merely displays the subtle distancing of stylization - is confirmed in paradise news, which endorses the conventions of realism without reservation. The disappearance of irony appreciably reduces the reader's interest, and thus, the compromise that characterizes lodge's aesthetics proves equally to be the indispensable condition for the seduction achieved by his novels.