Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais

This paper is about two critical works on Rabelais written at almost the same time, one by the philosopher and literary critic, Mikhaïl Bakhtin, and the other by the English novelist and essayist John Cowper Powys. A close reading of the two texts shows a lot of similarities in these two men’s appro...

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Main Author: Florence Marie-Laverrou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée 2008-05-01
Series:Études Britanniques Contemporaines
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/ebc/9422
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spelling doaj-69f10f13df844e8692d35979c4753a9f2020-11-25T03:58:18ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeÉtudes Britanniques Contemporaines1168-49172008-05-013310.4000/ebc.9422Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on RabelaisFlorence Marie-LaverrouThis paper is about two critical works on Rabelais written at almost the same time, one by the philosopher and literary critic, Mikhaïl Bakhtin, and the other by the English novelist and essayist John Cowper Powys. A close reading of the two texts shows a lot of similarities in these two men’s approaches to Rabelais. Using one of Bakhtin’s most potent concepts—that of dialogue—it is, however, possible to take a closer look and see some of the weaker points and assets of their respective works. Little by little, the very personal conception Powys had of literary criticism emerges. His aim was not simply to speak about Rabelais and his books but to let the French writer’s style take him over. Thus Powys’s critical work, which is an open text, mirrors Rabelais’ aesthetic and demonstrates all the while that the two writers’ aesthetics are the vehicle for their ethical positions.http://journals.openedition.org/ebc/9422
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Florence Marie-Laverrou
spellingShingle Florence Marie-Laverrou
Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais
Études Britanniques Contemporaines
author_facet Florence Marie-Laverrou
author_sort Florence Marie-Laverrou
title Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais
title_short Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais
title_full Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais
title_fullStr Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais
title_full_unstemmed Bakhtin and Powys ‘en dialogue’: Two Contemporary Views on Rabelais
title_sort bakhtin and powys ‘en dialogue’: two contemporary views on rabelais
publisher Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée
series Études Britanniques Contemporaines
issn 1168-4917
publishDate 2008-05-01
description This paper is about two critical works on Rabelais written at almost the same time, one by the philosopher and literary critic, Mikhaïl Bakhtin, and the other by the English novelist and essayist John Cowper Powys. A close reading of the two texts shows a lot of similarities in these two men’s approaches to Rabelais. Using one of Bakhtin’s most potent concepts—that of dialogue—it is, however, possible to take a closer look and see some of the weaker points and assets of their respective works. Little by little, the very personal conception Powys had of literary criticism emerges. His aim was not simply to speak about Rabelais and his books but to let the French writer’s style take him over. Thus Powys’s critical work, which is an open text, mirrors Rabelais’ aesthetic and demonstrates all the while that the two writers’ aesthetics are the vehicle for their ethical positions.
url http://journals.openedition.org/ebc/9422
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