Abstract EN:

Keyserling, tournier, two writers, two novelistic works ; half a century separates them, no influence can be clearly established, and yet we have here a striking convergence of themes :an interrogation based on the character, who is a submitted to the constraints of a civilisation that estranges him from his own self ; and therefore, either finds some apparent comfort in this state keyserling - or asserts his originality - tournier. In any case, the possibility of rupture is real, whatever its degree. The effects on the writing are tangible : either it reflects an - apparently irreversible estrangement from nature and a submission to the language code that prevails in the society, or, on the contrary, it reasserts the primacy of the character, of the individual, in an invigorating return to the tradition of words and narrative. Are the two works so far apart ? does the difference mainly lie between keyserling, who writes about resignation and decadence - thus clearly embodying the first tendency - and tournier, who stands up against the anti-establishment behaviours in favour at the time - the nouveau roman, for example - and claims his confidence in the tradition developed by a long line of writers he feels akin to ? there is nothing convincing to support this idea : if appearances do indeed reveal a line of fracture, deeper scrutiny of the texts can shake this too obvious assessment: is keyserling's narrative as much threatened by erosion as tournier's is a picture of good health ? another important aspect has to be taken into consideration : is it not true that both narratives express, either implicitly or explicitly, an essential aspiration ? the aspiration to a return to the origin, to a mythical model that would use words to exalt the individual ? nostalgia or euphoria ? hope or delusion ? is the myth a mere delusion or a reminder of a fundamental aspect of the world and of mankind ? if tournier resolutely partakes of this perspective, keyserling for his part only suggests and anticipates this possibility in a future whose lineaments are sketched by the text. Here lies the interest if a comparison between these two works can make them throw light on each other and assist the reader to gain a better insight into understanding their textual realities, which a too apparent veneer might, at times, seem to mask.