André Chamson et le cycle des camisards : romans et récits historiques
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Abstract EN:
Andre chamson (1900-1983) devoted the last twenty years of his literary production to the camisard theme and the protestants' struggles by publishing la superbe, 1967, la tour de constance, 1970. And les taillons, 1974, then castanet, ie camisard de i'aigoual et catinat in 1979 and 1982. This set of texts makes up the extended corpus of this study. The reference to camisards, which had been underlying in his previous works, is now developed at greater length. Chamson was very well aware that it had already formed his life and his character. The camisard tradition exerted coercive pressure on him determining a moral habitus based on the values supported by his struggling ancestors - he had no alternative but to commit himself and resist - and it also had an explanatory power, because it generated theories on history and time. To speak in literary terms, the subject has been developed throughout his works in two opposite and complementary forms that we study by resorting to the theories of the narrative analysis : the historical novel - a long and codified genre, the rules of which he seems to have respected ; and the historical narrative, a shorter and vaguer genre which he used to write the biography of two camisard leaders. Both series present lines of continuity because strong themes such as memory, region, religion, reference to ancestors are taken up and adjusted, and the repeating processes which appear clearly underline the relation to history in an obsessive and affective mode. However, there are breaking-points between his novels and his narratives which are a matter of epistemology - role of history, historiographic choices, relations with fiction - but which are, above all, a matter of purpose : the intention which is at the root of his writing determines different discursive strategies : from the novel to the narrative, chamson goes from apology to justification, working on the camisard's representation, in the aim of restoring his image, in both terms of literature and history. _________
Abstract FR:
Andre chamson ( 1900-1983 ) a consacre les vingt dernieres annees de sa production litteraire au theme des camisards et aux luttes protestantes en publiant la superbe, la tour de constance et les taillons successivement en 1967, 1970, 1974 puis, castanet, le camisard de l'aigoual et catinat, le gardian de camargue en 1979 et 1982. Cet ensemble de textes constitue le corpus elargi de cette etude. La reference camisarde qui s'etait deja exprimee de facon souterraine, se deploie enfin longuement dans son uvre. Chamson avait conscience qu'elle avait informe sa vie et son caractere. La tradition camisarde a exerce sur lui une pression coercitive en determinant un habitus moral fonde sur des valeurs defendues par les ancetres combattants : s'engager et resister deviennent pour lui des necessites. Elle a eu aussi un pouvoir explicatif car elle a genere des theories sur l'histoire et le temps. Au plan litteraire, le sujet se developpe, dans son uvre, sous deux formes opposees et complementaires etudiees a travers les theories de l'analyse du texte : le roman historique, genre long, tres codifie dont il semble respecter les contraintes et le recit historique, forme courte et plus floue, qu'il investit pour faire la biographie de deux chefs camisards. Les deux series presentent des lignes de continuite car des themes forts - memoire, region, religion, reference aux ancetres - sont repris, modules et des processus de ressassement apparaissent qui situent bien le rapport a l'histoire sur le mode de l'obsession et de l'affectif. Mais des points de rupture entre romans et recits surgissent egalement qui relevent de l'epi stemologie - la place de l'histoire, les choix historiographiques, les rapports avec la fiction - mais surtout du projet fondateur de l'ecriture qui determine des strategies discursives differentes : du roman au recit, chamson passe de l'apologie a l'argumentation justificative, travaillant l'image du camisard, dans une perspective de rehabilitation, au double plan romanesque et historique.