IASH Work in Progress talk
Wednesday, 16 November
Dr Annick Ettlin (University of Geneva, IASH Fellow): The Re-Enchantment of Modern Poetry (France, 1873-1992)
I will expose how writing about French modern poetry today can relate to theoretical as well as hermeneutical concerns, by showing that the elucidation of some of the most obscure pieces of verse and prose in the history of Western literature can open onto a reconsideration of the notion of literary value. By presenting a few of my recent and upcoming projects, I’ll endeavour to show that literary value has much to do with belief, that literature is actually a sophisticated “belief maker”, and that it may help us grasp a particular and paradoxical sort of belief relying more on will than on instinct. Put together, the different projects that I will be talking about aim to define poetry as a powerful and complex device meant to carry out the enchantment of the world.