{"title":"\"J'aurai un salon magnifique […] et moi seul j'y entrerai\": Hospitality as Potency in Stendhal's Armance","authors":"Ellamae Lepper","doi":"10.1353/ncf.2024.a926094","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Abstract:</p><p>This article highlights feminist thought on hospitality in order to stress the implicit cultural connection between the salon and the hostess in <i>Armance</i>. Furthermore, it argues that theories of hospitality can reopen the debate about impotence in the novel by raising questions of self-mastery and the power to act. Drawing on Derrida's contention that hospitality is a necessary condition for recognisable selfhood, the article suggests that Octave's dilemma of impotence is encapsulated by his fantasy, early in the novel, of owning a salon which no-one else would enter. Considering the potential unruliness of both phallus and hostess, it asks to what extent <i>Armance</i> shows us Stendhal reflecting on the illusory nature of masculine self-sufficiency. By suggesting that potency in the novel can be understood in terms of mastery over detail, moreover, the article connects Octave's preoccupation with his private salon to Stendhal's own concerns with achieving a succinct literary style.</p></p>","PeriodicalId":42524,"journal":{"name":"NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH STUDIES","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH STUDIES","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/ncf.2024.a926094","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"LITERATURE, ROMANCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Abstract:
This article highlights feminist thought on hospitality in order to stress the implicit cultural connection between the salon and the hostess in Armance. Furthermore, it argues that theories of hospitality can reopen the debate about impotence in the novel by raising questions of self-mastery and the power to act. Drawing on Derrida's contention that hospitality is a necessary condition for recognisable selfhood, the article suggests that Octave's dilemma of impotence is encapsulated by his fantasy, early in the novel, of owning a salon which no-one else would enter. Considering the potential unruliness of both phallus and hostess, it asks to what extent Armance shows us Stendhal reflecting on the illusory nature of masculine self-sufficiency. By suggesting that potency in the novel can be understood in terms of mastery over detail, moreover, the article connects Octave's preoccupation with his private salon to Stendhal's own concerns with achieving a succinct literary style.
期刊介绍：
Nineteenth-Century French Studies provides scholars and students with the opportunity to examine new trends, review promising research findings, and become better acquainted with professional developments in the field. Scholarly articles on all aspects of nineteenth-century French literature and criticism are invited. Published articles are peer reviewed to ensure scholarly integrity. This journal has an extensive book review section covering a variety of disciplines. Nineteenth-Century French Studies is published twice a year in two double issues, fall/winter and spring/summer.
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