The Literary and Writer’s Theory of François Mauriac

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to summarize the literary world of François Mauriac, through his writer’s theory. Mauriac’s literary theory, who was an advocate of traditional novels, especially Christian literature, is widely known to be in an opposing position to so-called existentialist literature and postmodern literature. However, combining Mauriac’s works and the ideas he mentioned in many places, it can be seen that his literature rather shows the possibility of literature after the postmodern era. In Mauriac’s literature, the author is in a variety of positions indeed. Sometimes the author claims to be the absolute owner and subject of the work. It takes the place of a creator in the ‘ontologico-théologique’ dimension that Roland Barthes spoke of. However, in some cases, the author retreats to the position of a minor actor standing at the end of the stage of literature. Sometimes the author grasps all of the characters’ intentions from an omniscient perspective and leads the fate of the characters, but sometimes gives up his intentions and direction in the face of the resistance of free-spirited characters. Sometimes the author seems to have absolute authority in determining the meaning of the work, but at every moment, he feels that the work and characters are separated from him and that the author himself has no choice but to disappear. Through this, in Mauriac’s literary theory, the concept of an ‘author’ with absolute authority as a creator, a free character who constantly resists the will of the ‘author’, and furthermore, a place for a reader who functions as a final stage in interpreting and determining the meaning of the work are all provided.