Jacques Poulin et le Nouveau Roman de Tendre: (Jacques Poulin and the New Tender Novel)

• Main Author: Lees, Cynthia Currie
• Format: Text
• Language: French
• Published: DigitalCommons@UMaine 2003
• Subjects: Poulin Jacques Criticism and interpretation; Jacques Poulin critique; French and Francophone Literature; Baleine; Bleue; la Baleine; Baleine bleue
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/608; https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/etd/article/1635/viewcontent/LeesCC2003.pdf

The main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the fundamental importance of the Carte de Tendre of Mlle de Scudéry in the works of Jacques Poulin. Distinct from previous studies, this analysis is based on the premise that Poulin has made a unique contribution to Quebec literature with his novel of tenderness which recalls the celebrated map in Clélie, Histoire Romaine. Where Scudéry envisages land, air and sea routes to Tendre, Poulin likewise evokes the themes of travel and tenderness. These two themes are intertwined since travel, for the poulinian hero, serves as a pretext for rediscovering his identity and better understanding both himself and others. Poulin finishes his characters maritime charts and road maps to help them establish bonds of friendship in their journey to Tendre. This study comprises five distinct yet interrelated chapters. After a review of the historical background of the Carte de Tendre, the first chapter brings to light the importance, according to Scudéry, of tenderness in human relationships and the routes that lead to tender amity. In similar fashion, Jacques Poulin creates a universe filled with sensitivity in which he explores the relationships between men and women. In chapter 2 Poulin's novels of apprenticeship, his first three works, are analyzed. In Mon chevalpour un royaume almost all of the themes Poulin will later treat are present, especially that of the protagonist's protective shell. This shell will prevent him from reaching out to others and from establishing relationships with them. His second novel, Jimmy, examines the childhood of the eleven year old narrator and his need for tenderness. Jimmy fails to break through his shell to communicate with unresponsive parents. In Le cœur de la baleine bleue Poulin clarifies the search for tenderness in describing Noel's journey toward his inner pole, his soul. The author insists upon travel as a metaphor for the quest for tenderness. Chapter 3 highlights the various routes which lead to Tendre and the failure of the ...