Beyrouth : le paradis perdu et autres mythes etude comparative de recits de voyage du xixe siecle francais et de la litterature libanaise d'expression francaise contemporaine

Beirut: the lost paradise and other myths. Comparative study of 19th century french travel accounts and contemporary lebanese literature of french expression

• Auteur / Autrice : Julia Schmidt
• Direction : Jean Bessière
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Littérature comparée
• Date : Soutenance en 1997
• Etablissement(s) : Paris 3

Résumé

Cette these se propose de comparer les images de beyrouth dans deux litteratures, celle du xixe siecle francais (recits de voyage orientalistes de volney a barres), et celle du xxe siecle libanais (production romanesque contemporaine d'expression francaise). En opposant les images de la ville actuelle, detruite par la guerre de 1975-91, a celles du siecle dernier montrant une ville en evolution (la petite ville insignifiante de volney deviendra cite occidentalisee, carrefour entre orient et occident chez loti), on constate que la perception de la ville est constante : beyrouth est mythifiee, aussi bien par les observateurs de l'exterieur que ceux de l'interieur. La ville est assimilee a la terre sainte, percue comme l'incarnation du paradis terrestre (au xixe siecle) ou comme paradis perdu (xxe siecle). En analysant cette perception romantique/romanesque de la ville, on a pu conclure qu'elle a ete essentiellement influencee par le recit de voyage de lamartine. Les descriptions de beyrouth se revelent ainsi comme tres subjectives. Les images paradisiaques semblent peu correspondre a la realite, comme le demontrent notamment les textes de flaubert ou de loti. La perception de la ville par les ecrivains libanais contemporains confirme cette notion d'une ville mythifiee, ce qui laisse aussi conclure a une forte influence de la litterature francaise romantique sur celle, libanaise francophone de la deuxieme moitie du xxe siecle.

The intention of this thesis is to compare the image of beirut in two literatures, on one hand the french 19th century literature (orientalist travel accounts from voney to barres), on the other hand the 20th century lebanese literature (contemporary novels of french expression). Opposing the images of the present town, destroyed by the war of 1975-91, and the one of the last century showing a city in evolution (the small insignificant town of volney is becoming a westernized center, crossroad between east and west for loti), we notice a constant perception of the town : beirut is perceived asa myth, as well for the external observer as for the interior one. The city is assimilated to the holy land, perceived as heaven on earth (in the 19th century) or as the lost paradise (20th century). Analyzing this romantic/novelistic perception of the town we can conclude that it is essentially influenced by the account of lamartine. The descriptions of the city are very subjective. The paradise-like image seems not to correspond to reality as it is shown especially in flaubert's and loti's texts. The perception of the city by the contemporary lebanese writers confirms this notion of a myth-like town, which permits to conclude as well that the french romantic literature has a strong influence on the lebanese literature of french expression of the second half of the 20th century.