CINEMATOGRAPHY IN THE WORKS OF ANNIE ERNAUX

217 Pages·2011·1.08 MB·English

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CINEMATOGRAPHY IN THE WORKS OF ANNIE ERNAUX: WRITING
MEMORY AND REALITY

Jacqueline Dougherty

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
Department of Romance Languages (French).

Chapel Hill
2011

Approved by
Martine Antle, Advisor
Philippe Barr
Dominique Fisher
Hassan Melehy
Ellen Welch
© 2011
Jacqueline Dougherty
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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ABSTRACT
JACQUELINE DOUGHERTY “Cinematography in the Works of Annie Ernaux: Writing
Memory and Reality”
(Under the direction of Martine Antle)

This dissertation proposes a re-reading of Annie Ernaux‟s corpus by considering the
cinematographic aspects present in her works. Ernaux has systematically engaged in a
reciprocity between the text and the image, including both moving and fixed images. This
reciprocity is particularly manifest in Ernaux‟s deployment of the flashback to relay the
memories of her past experiences. In my introductory chapter, I demonstrate that Ernaux
views the recording of such memories from an entirely cinematic perspective.
Chapter 2 investigates Ernaux‟s adaptation of the cinematic flashback, including the
fade and voix off narration, the two devices that initiate the flashback. Furthermore, this
chapter demonstrates that the combination of visual markers and textual strategies in
Ernaux‟s writing actually likens the reader to a spectator who views a film on screen. Finally,
in keeping with the inherent characteristic of personal testimony on which both literary and
cinematic flashbacks rely, Chapter 2 also discusses the numerous strategies at work in
Ernaux‟s writing that sustain the veracity of her narratives. These strategies include the use
of archives, reference to personal diaries and the inclusion of footnotes.
Chapter 3 explores Ernaux‟s pervasive deployment and recourse to the terms image,
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scène, cinéma and film as surrogates for the constructions of souvenir and mémoire. Such
memory-images enrich the primary flashback narrative by isolating events whose emotional
resonance is particularly acute for the narrator.
The photographic images populating Ernaux‟s works are interpreted as cinematic
freeze-frames in Chapter 4. Like the memory-images analyzed in Chapter 3, the narrator
reveals the affective import of the photographs. We discover that, rather than interrupting the
flow of the narrative, the incorporation of photographs in the text actually contributes
relevant insights, details and truths to the account in question.
The final chapter includes a reflection on the extent to which Ernaux‟s artful fusion of
cinematic and literary devices facilitates her quest for reality in her writing. I conclude by
demonstrating Ernaux‟s multiple innovations of the literary paradigm and designate her as
the source of collective memory for her generation.

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Dedication
With my most profound admiration and gratitude for twenty-five years of inspiration, I
dedicate this dissertation to Mary Donaldson-Evans.

In memory of my grandparents, Joseph Daniel Dougherty, Sr., Cecilia Helen Kramarck and
Stephen John Kramarck, Sr.

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Acknowledgements
I am forever indebted to numerous individuals for their immeasurable encouragement
and sustained support throughout the years. I would like to thank my dissertation director,
Martine Antle, for inspiring me to undertake this project and for maintaining rigorous
standards throughout the process. My committee, Dominique Fisher, Hassan Melehy,
Philippe Barr and Ellen Welch, provided valuable and constructive feedback that helped to
enrich the final product. My gratitude to my entire committee is limitless.
Hannelore Jarausch and Nina Furry have recognized and encouraged my efforts as a
Graduate Teaching Fellow from the moment I arrived at UNC. I thank them for their
support. Related to my teaching experience at UNC, I wish to acknowledge the following
students: Lauren Wilson; Lauren Shor; Kaitlin Grady; Alison Grady; Ryan Craver; Brandon
Ring; Jordan Sharron, Lucas Mavromatis, Amelia Moore, Elizabeth Wilson; Katherine
McIlwain; Nicole Otto; Dan Richey; Meghan Cooper and Todd Lewis.
From 1984 through 1990, Mary Donaldson-Evans and Bruno Thibault were
instrumental in forging my path, both as an undergraduate and a graduate student at the
University of Delaware. If I attain even a fraction of their success as a scholar, I will consider
myself very fortunate.
I must also express my appreciation for the persistent encouragement of my family. I
extend my heartfelt thanks to my parents, Jacqueline K. Murphy, Charles A. Dougherty, Sr.,
Christine B. Dougherty and Jimmie R. Murphy. They have demonstrated an unwavering
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belief in me, even when I did not believe in myself. I am grateful for the support of my
siblings, their spouses and their children. Thanks to Chuck Dougherty and Michelle
Bellafore-Dougherty; Jessica Ruff; Joshua Ruff; Tim Dougherty and M. Doug Hardy. I also
wish to acknowledge my grandmother, Ann T. Dougherty, my godparents, Donna Casapulla
and Stephen J. Krarmack, Jr. and my best friend, Matt DiCintio. Finally, I am eternally
grateful for Sara, Siobhán, Saffron and Sunny, who accepted with good humor the countless
hours I spent at the computer and in the library.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1. Ernaux and her Contemporaries……………………………………………….1

2. Ernaux, Reality and Memory....………………………………………………. 4

3. Scope and Content of the Project……………………………………………... 7

4. Situating the Real in Ernauxian Terms...………………………………………8

5. Overview of the Corpus……………………………………………………....11

6. The Process of Writing Memory……………………………………………...21
7. From “Reel” Memory to Real Memory………....…………………………....25

CHAPTER 2 CINEMATIC DEVICES IN ERNAUX‟S NARRATIVE: FLASHBACK,
FADE AND VOIX OFF

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………….......30

2. Introduction to the Flashback, Fade and Voix Off…………………………….31
3. The Flashback as Truth and Testimony………………………………............36
4. Setting up the Flashback in Les Armoires vides……………………………...44
5. The Flashback in Les Armoires vides………………………………………...55
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6. Les Années: An Introduction………………………………………………… 71
7. Les Années: The Prologue…………………………………………………… 74
8. Les Années: The Structure of the Primary Flashback…………….................. 84
9. The Photographic Image in Les Années……………………………………... 85
10. Repas de famille in Les Années…………………………………………….... 88
11. Collective Memory in Les Années…………………………………………... 89
12. Memory as a Cinematic Apparatus in Les Années…………………………...91
CHAPTER 3 LEXICAL FUSION: MEMORY AS IMAGE, SCÈNE, FILM AND CINÉMA
1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………. 98
2. Images of Social Ascension, Oppression and……………………………... 101
Disenchantment: La Femme gelée

3. Betrayal and Restitution: Scènes …………………………………………... 110
and Images in La Place

4. The Traumatized Memory: Scènes and ……………………………………. 126
Images in La Honte

CHAPTER 4 FREEZE-FRAME: THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE IN ERNAUX‟S
CORPUS

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………… 146

2. The Photographic Image, Memory…………….............................................149
and Documenting Reality

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3. The Freeze-framed Image as Testimony…………….……………………... 155

4. Freeze-framed Photographs in La Place……….……………………........... 157

5. Freeze-framing Shame: The Photographic.……………................................166
Image in La Honte

6. Freeze-frames in Les Années………………………………………………..171

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION…………………………….................................................. 179

WORKS CITED……............................................................................................................ 201

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