Ecrire l'absence

The first part of this M.A. thesis is comprised of short stories that focus on the theme of essential lack, exploring the process whereby one discovers that something is lacking and the various ways in which one attempts to fill the void.The second part consists of an essay on creative writing which proceeds from two main questions: first, is it possible to write when "nothing is happening"?; and secondly, can "nothing" be meaningful? In discussing these questions, we will refer to works of nouveau roman novelists, as well as those of writers such as Rainer-Maria Rilke, John Gardner, Raymond Carver, Milan Kundera and Peter Handke. Through examining these authors' views and approaches to characterization, plot and description, we will show different ways of writing a text though one is starting "from nothing"