Problems of Narration in the Work of Barbey d'Aurevilly

FAIN: FT-14043-78

Eileen B. Sivert
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN 55455-2009)

A book to study the relationship, in the novels and short stories of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, between the problem of telling a story and the problem of union or communication between man and women. Most of Barbey's fiction is made up of narrative layers — usually the study of a female character whose story is told by one or a series of male narrators. This distancing form of narration forces constant reinterpretation by the reader. This study will focus on the ways in which narration and sexuality function in Barbey's novels and his shorter fiction in terms of what seems to be a desire to protect the self while controlling others through storytelling.