The writer's ideal in André Gide and Marcel Proust

• Grant number: 24/01835-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Comparative Literature
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Bebiano de Almeida
• Grantee: Ingrid de Mesquita Cordeiro
• Supervisor: Christophe Pradeau
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris 4), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/07337-2 - The writer's ideal in André Gide and Marcel Proust, BP.MS

Abstract

Recent studies on the relationship between André Gide and Marcel Proust have been published by critics. However, one aspect that has not been extensively explored between the two is their ideals as writers. "À la recherche du temps perdu" and "Les faux-monnayeurs" are novels whose protagonist-narrators are writers. Just as in their novels, the figure of the writer also constantly appears in their literary essays. In these writings, through their critiques of other writers, they establish values that reveal their own ideals as writers. However, the two authors, though contemporaries, seem to have different values regarding the writer and the practice of writing, suggesting that their ideals do not converge.In our study, based on the investigation and analysis of their values, we compare the ideal of the writer - with a focus on the novelist - in some essays by both authors. To justify our study, we draw on the works "Altas Literaturas" (1998) by Leyla Perrone-Moisés and "Théories du Symbole" (1977) by Tzvetan Todorov, which address the principles of choice of modern writers. We focus on the period from 1907 to 1910 for Proust, the formative years of writing the first volume of "À la recherche du temps perdu" and for Gide, from 1919 to 1925, encompassing the writing of "Les faux-monnayeurs".Exploring the ideal of the writer in Gide and Proust not only enriches our understanding of their essayistic critiques but also contributes to shedding light on their individual literary practices and, consequently, the understanding of their novels.