International Journal Of Literature And Languages
129
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
129-132
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue06-37
Postmodernism In French Literature In The Second Half
Of The 20th Century
Nishonov Patxiddin Payziboyevich
Associate Professor at the Department of Applied French Language Studies at Uzbekistan State World Languages University, Uzbekistan
Marechal Jean-Christophe
Professor at Lyon 2 Lumière University, Uzbekistan
Received:
27 April 2025;
Accepted:
30 May 2025;
Published:
27 June 2025
Abstract:
This article examines the emergence and development of postmodernism in French literature during
the second half of the 20th century. The study identifies the key philosophical and aesthetic premises of
postmodernism, analyzes their manifestation in the works of leading French writers, and explores the interplay
between postmodernism and the broader socio-cultural context of postwar France. The study highlights the
contributions of authors such as Alain Robbe-Grillet, Marguerite Duras, Philippe Sollers, and Jean-Philippe
Toussaint, among others, and situates their works within the shifting paradigms of literary creation. Ultimately,
the article asserts that postmodernism in French literature represents both a continuation and a rupture with
previous traditions, offering new modes of narrative, experimentation, and critique that remain influential in the
21st century.
Keywords:
French literature, postmodernism, 20th century, narrative, intertextuality, Alain Robbe-Grillet,
Marguerite Duras, Nouveau Roman, textuality.
Introduction:
The second half of the 20th century
marked a period of profound transformation in French
literature, characterized by the emergence of
postmodernism as a dominant intellectual and artistic
paradigm. Postmodernism, which originated as a
reaction against the certainties and universalizing
tendencies of modernism, questioned the stability of
meaning, the authority of the author, and the very
nature of textuality. In France, these concerns
resonated powerfully within the broader context of
political upheaval, technological innovation, and
shifting social structures. The devastation of World War
II, the traumas of decolonization, and the rise of mass
media
provided
fertile
ground
for
literary
experimentation and philosophical inquiry.
French postmodernism did not arise in isolation;
rather, it developed in dialogue with international
trends, including American postmodern fiction and the
philosophical investigations of the Frankfurt School.
However, the specificity of the French context
—
marked by the legacy of structuralism, the influence of
existentialism, and a longstanding tradition of literary
self-reflexivity
—
shaped a uniquely French articulation
of postmodernism. The “Nouveau Roman” (New Novel)
movement, alongside the theoretical contributions of
figures such as Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, and
Jacques Derrida, played a crucial role in redefining the
parameters of literary creation.
This article seeks to map the evolution of
postmodernism in French literature from the 1950s
through the end of the century. By analyzing
representative works and exploring their philosophical
underpinnings, it aims to elucidate the core features of
postmodern French writing, the challenges it posed to
established literary norms, and its enduring significance
for both national and global literary landscapes.
The methodology adopted for this research is
interdisciplinary, combining literary theory, textual
analysis, and historical contextualization. The study
draws upon primary sources
—
the literary texts
themselves
—
and an extensive div of secondary
literature, including theoretical essays, literary
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
130
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
criticism, and historical accounts. The primary texts
include novels, essays, and plays by prominent
postmodern French writers published between 1950
and 2000. Among the authors selected for in-depth
analysis are Alain Robbe-Grillet, Marguerite Duras,
Nathalie Sarraute, Philippe Sollers, Jean-Philippe
Toussaint, and Patrick Modiano.
The theoretical framework is informed by the writings
of Roland Barthes, Jean-François Lyotard, Michel
Foucault, and Jacques Derrida, whose philosophical
and critical interventions shaped the discourse of
postmodernism in France. Concepts such as
intertextuality, the “death of the author,” textual
plurality, simulation, and the instability of meaning
serve as analytical tools for the interpretation of
literary texts.
The research process entailed a close reading of
selected texts, with attention to narrative structure,
language,
characterization,
and
thematic
preoccupations. The analysis foregrounds the ways in
which French postmodern writers interrogate
conventions of genre, authorial authority, and the
boundaries between fiction and reality. Secondary
sources, including critical essays and monographs, are
used to situate individual works within broader
intellectual and cultural currents.
Furthermore, the study considers the impact of
historical events
—
such as the Algerian War, May 1968,
and the rise of consumer culture
—
on the evolution of
postmodern aesthetics in France. This historical lens
enables a nuanced understanding of the reciprocal
relationship between literature and society during the
period under consideration.
The investigation of postmodernism in French
literature during the second half of the 20th century
yields several significant findings regarding the
thematic and formal innovations introduced by French
authors, the theoretical frameworks that informed
their work, and the enduring influence of postmodern
aesthetics.
First, the Nouveau Roman, which emerged in the 1950s
and 1960s, represented a radical departure from
traditional narrative forms. Writers such as Alain
Robbe-Grillet, Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor, and
Claude Simon rejected the conventions of character
development, psychological realism, and linear plot in
favor of fragmented, non-linear narratives, unreliable
narrators, and a focus on the materiality of language.
Robbe-
Grillet’s “La Jalousie” (1957), for example,
foregrounds objects and spatial relations over
character psychology, subverting the reader’s
expectations and destabilizing the boundaries between
subject and object.
Marguerite Duras, in works such as “Le Ravissement de
Lol V. Stein” (1964) and “L’Amant” (1984), explored the
limits of memory, desire, and language. Her elliptical
prose and ambiguous narrative voices exemplify
postmodern strategies of deferral and indeterminacy,
inviting the reader to participate in the construction of
meaning. Duras’s writing resists closure, presenting
stories that are open-ended and permeated by absence
and silence.
Intertextuality and the questioning of authorship
became central concerns for French postmodernists.
Roland Barthes’s proclamation of the “death of the
author” in his 1967 essay marked a turning point in
literary theory, shifting the focus from authorial
intention to the plurality of textual meanings. This
perspective is reflected in the works of Philippe Sollers,
whose novel “Drame” (1965) and the subsequent
journal Tel Quel promoted the notion of the text as a
site of endless play and multiplicity.
Jean-Philippe Toussaint, writing in the 1980s and
1990s, further extended postmodern experimentation
through minimalist prose, self-referentiality, and the
subversion of narrative expectations. In “La Salle de
bain” (1985), the protagonist’s alienation and
obsession with mundane details highlight the
dissolution of grand narratives and the erosion of
stable identity.
The period also witnessed the emergence of
autofiction
—
a genre that blurs the boundaries
between
autobiography
and
fiction.
Serge
Doubrovsky’s coi
nage of the term in 1977 signaled a
new mode of self-representation, one that foregrounds
the constructedness of both self and story. Authors
such as Annie Ernaux, Hervé Guibert, and Christine
Angot developed this form, reflecting broader
postmodern concerns with subjectivity, memory, and
the unreliability of personal narrative.
French postmodern literature also responded to the
changing socio-political landscape. The upheavals of
May 1968, the aftermath of colonial conflicts, and the
rise of consumer capitalism all found expression in
literary works that questioned authority, critiqued
institutions, and reflected a pervasive sense of
fragmentation and loss. The proliferation of genres
—
experimental novels, hybrid texts, metafiction, and
textual
collages
—
mirrored
the
pluralism
and
heterogeneity of postmodern society.
The theoretical contributions of French philosophers,
critics, and semioticians provided a rich conceptual
vocabulary for understanding and articulating these
literary developments. The interplay between literary
practice and theoretical innovation became a hallmark
of French postmodernism, with writers and theorists
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
131
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
often occupying overlapping roles.
The results of this study demonstrate that
postmodernism in French literature is best understood
not as a single unified movement, but as a constellation
of aesthetic, philosophical, and textual practices that
emerged in response to the crises and opportunities of
the late 20th century. While the Nouveau Roman is
often seen as the emblematic expression of French
literary
postmodernism,
the
phenomenon
encompasses a broader range of writers, genres, and
approaches.
One of the defining features of French postmodern
literature is its sustained interrogation of narrative
conventions. The abandonment of coherent plots,
psychologically motivated characters, and omniscient
narrators reflects a deep skepticism toward the
possibility of stable meaning and coherent selfhood.
Instead, postmodern texts often present fragmented
subjectivities, multiple perspectives, and open-ended
structures that invite active reader participation. This
rejection of unity and closure can be seen as both a
response to the historical ruptures of the postwar
period and as an assertion of aesthetic autonomy.
Intertextuality emerges as a central strategy in French
postmodern writing. The proliferation of references,
quotations, and allusions disrupts the notion of the
autonomous work and situates each text within a
network of other texts, both literary and non-literary.
This practice not only reflects the influence of
structuralist and poststructuralist theory, but also
underscores the instability of meaning and the
impossibility of original creation. The works of Philippe
Sollers and the Tel Quel group are paradigmatic in this
regard, foregrounding the processes of writing,
reading, and interpretation as inherently unstable and
generative.
The
philosophical
underpinnings
of
French
postmodernism draw heavily on the ideas of Barthes,
Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault. The “death of the
author,” the critique of the “metanarrative,” and the
deconstruction of binary oppositions all inform the
literary production of the period. Derrida’s concept of
“différance,” for example, is echoed in the endless
deferral of meaning found in the novels of Robbe-
Gril
let and Duras. Lyotard’s “incredulity toward
metanarratives”
provides
a
framework
for
understanding the suspicion with which postmodern
writers approach totalizing ideologies, whether
literary, philosophical, or political.
French postmodern literature also engages critically
with the technological and cultural changes of the late
20th century. The rise of mass media, the proliferation
of images, and the commodification of culture are
recurrent themes. In this context, literature becomes a
site for the negotiation of identity, reality, and desire in
an increasingly mediated world. The simulation of
experience and the play of surfaces are central motifs,
as seen in the works of Jean Baudrillard, whose theories
of simulacra and hyperreality find literary expression in
the novels of the period.
Autofiction represents a particularly significant
development in the context of postmodernism,
reflecting the dissolution of boundaries between fact
and fiction, self and other. The genre’s emphasis on
subjectivity, memory, and the fragmentary nature of
experience aligns with broader postmodern concerns.
By foregrounding the constructedness of the self and
the narrative, autofiction both participates in and
extends the postmodern critique of essentialism.
Despite the experimental and often challenging nature
of postmodern French literature, it has exerted a
lasting influence on subsequent generations of writers
both within France and internationally. The pluralism,
playfulness, and critical self-reflexivity that characterize
postmodern writing continue to inform contemporary
literary production, even as new paradigms and
concerns have emerged in the 21st century.
Postmodernism in French literature during the second
half of the 20th century represents a transformative
epoch characterized by innovation, experimentation,
and critical reflection. The movement’s emergence was
shaped by both international currents and the
particular historical and intellectual circumstances of
postwar France. French writers responded to the
uncertainties of the era by challenging conventional
narrative forms, interrogating the nature of authorship
and textuality, and exploring the shifting contours of
identity and reality.
Through the works of Robbe-Grillet, Duras, Sollers,
Toussaint,
and
others,
postmodernism
found
expression in the rejection of traditional plots, the
embrace of intertextuality, the questioning of meaning,
and the exploration of the boundaries between fiction
and reality. Theoretical contributions from Barthes,
Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault provided a robust
intellectual foundation for these literary innovations.
While postmodernism in French literature may be seen
as both a continuation and a break with previous
traditions, its legacy is unmistakable. It opened new
possibilities for narrative, encouraged ongoing
dialogue between literature and theory, and remains a
vital reference point for contemporary literary practice.
As France and the world entered the 21st century, the
questions and challenges posed by postmodernism
persisted, ensuring its relevance and dynamism within
the ongoing evolution of literature.
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
132
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
REFERENCES
Барнхеймер, Х. История французской литературы ХХ
века. –
М.: Прогресс, 1995.
Барт Р. Избранные работы: Семиотика. Поэтика. –
М.: Прогресс, 1989.
Деррида Ж.
О грамматологии. –
М.: Ad Marginem,
2000.
Лиотар Ж.
-
Ф. Состояние постмодерна. –
СПб.:
Aleteya, 1998.
Фуко М. Археология знания. –
М.: Эксмо, 2004.
Robbe-Grillet, A. La Jalousie.
–
Paris: Minuit, 1957.
Duras, M. Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein.
–
Paris:
Gallimard, 1964.
Duras, M. L’Amant. –
Paris: Minuit, 1984.
Sollers, P. Drame.
–
Paris: Seuil, 1965.
Barthes, R. La mort de l’auteur //
Manteia. 1967.
Toussaint, J.-Ph. La Salle de bain.
–
Paris: Minuit, 1985.
Doubrovsky, S. Fils.
–
Paris: Galilée, 1977.
Модьяно П. Улица Темных Лавок. –
М.: Иностранка,
2012.
Sarraute, N. Le Planétarium.
–
Paris: Gallimard, 1959.
Бодрийяр Ж. Симулякры и симуляция. –
М.: Постум,
2008.
