Jean Paulhan et l’obsession du plan

• Main Author: Camille Koskas
• Format: Article
• Language: fra
• Published: Pléiade (EA 7338) 2020-10-01
• Series: Itinéraires
• Subjects: Paulhan (Jean); table of contents; archives; plan; structure; narrative structure
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/itineraires/7467

The multiple notes and outlines that can be found in the Paulhan archive in the Institut Mémoire de l’édition contemporaine (IMEC) are a testimony of his accute sense of structure, and shows how important it was in the conception of his works. Although his plans take various forms, they are all divided down to the most minute sections. The logical, sometimes dialectic construction is both rigorous and flexible, as it can be reshaped numerous times. There is even an element of play in the way plans evolve. The structure can help understand texts that generally recognised as particularly hermetic. In this article, we will study the way structure contributes to meaning, but also examine the tension that arises between a strong desire for unity and a plan that has a tendency to divide the thought process indefinitely.