L'idée de la littérature. De l'art pour l'art aux écritures d'intervention

The subtitle of Gefen's book reveals its objective straight away: to address the representations carried by the idea of literature which is globally situated within the mythified value of a universal explanatory framework and the current literary practices that have entered into contemporary reality. According to Gefen, the aesthetic autonomy of literature, historically situated approximately between 1800 and 2000, is no longer exclusive and must cohabit with an inclusive conception of literature in which varied collective artistic practices (such as creative writing workshops or fanfiction) find their place today. On this view, a refreshing air of democratization dislodges literature from its elitist pedestal, from its position as observer of the world, and situates it within the world of individuals and things. After having analyzed the assumption and consequence of a therapeutic paradigm for the understanding and definition of the contemporary literature in a previous book (Réparer le monde. La littérature française face au 21ième siècle), in his current project, Gefen contends that new literary communities and sensibilities emerge and transform the idea of literature, revitalizing it and mapping out new paths.