De l'approximation ou du refus de dénomination dans « Un fin passage » de France Daigle
On approximation or on the refusal of denomination in "Un fin passage" by France Daigle

Author(s): Cristina Petraş
Subject(s): Lexis, French Literature, Cultural Essay, Philology, Stylistics
Published by: Editura Junimea
Keywords: designative expressions; characters; approximation; metalinguistic expressions; lexicalization; France Daigle;
Summary/Abstract: The designative expressions used to refer to some of the characters (anonymous ones) in the novel “Un fin passage” by France Daigle indicate a particular way of considering them and a specific narrative technique. To take a few examples, one of them is designated by “une sorte de prêtre”, “le prêtre générique”, “le poperabbin”, “le dénommé Shimon”, another by “l’homme qui n’a / avait pas l’air de lire”, a third one by “la femme à la laitue”, “la femme qui ne fume qu’en public”, “la femme qu’il disait aimer”. These expressions depict identities with fuzzy, diffuse outlines, that rely on the immediate context. This hesitation in giving characters lexicalized names is only one manifestation of what might be called a difficulty in naming things, in general (see metalinguistic expressions, approximation).

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