Visions of and through the *group in early twentieth-century French novels

The first half of the twentieth century saw in France the publication of a proliferation of novels in which individual heroes were supplanted by groups around which descriptions and intrigue were centered. This study examines some of the reasons behind this new literary development and the resulting subjects treated and narrative techniques employed to further the representation of the group. A cross-section of novels published between 1911 and 1949 are analyzed in terms of the group structures presented, the themes developed and the means of representation. The time period saw much interest in collectives, with the development of the field of sociology and political ideologies such as Marxism; movements in psychology and philosophy also examined the role of society in relationship to the individual. The novels fell into three categories: groups formed from a geo-political community, collectives newly established, and groups of soldiers. Invariably, the plot is motivated by some kind of crisis. In each case, a focus on a group was found to allow a somehow “better” representation of events, whether by indicating the need for solidarity, demonstrating the dangers of association with evil, advancing the theory of fleeting unions through a group “soul” or exposing the extent of desolation provoked by imprisonment or war. Focus on a group led to literary experimentation such as simultaneism, juxtaposition, unattributed dialogue, ambiguous use of pronouns, multiple focalizations and an abundance of first person plural pronouns, as well as ‘on’, ‘ils’ and collective nouns. Group centered novels were thus a means of communicating a message particular to the era and the source of narrative innovation which has carried over into later novels