Le théâtre de Claire Lejeune: textes et co(n)textes

Abstract

The plays of the Belgium writer Claire Lejeune (1926- 2008) can be read as the achievement of her literature, as a necessary step on the way to the sublimation of her particular style. Actually her beginnings as a dramatist are intimately related to her former works –such as her first collections of poems (La Gangue et le feu, 1963) or her successful essays on philosophical and ethical matters (i.e. Le livre de la soeur, 1992). They are the result of the evolution of Lejeune’s thoughts on politics and poetry through the decades. Her plays sum up some of the most characteristic and important subjects or motifs: the feminine condition, the patriarchal idiosyncrasy, the differences between the sexes, the role of the desire, etc. There’s a remarkable influence of feminist ideology and citizen issues. In fact, the Belgium playwright tries to promote the utopia of a social system founded on the idea of the vindication of the difference and the inclusion principle. From Ariane et Don Juan ou le désastre (1997) to Je m’appelle Marie (2005), passing by Le chant du dragon (2000) and Les mutants (2004), all her works revolve around those topics. We are faced with a dramatic recipe that creates astonishing links between some different genres and authors. Even if these plays are not really innovative in their structures and dramatic solutions, their cryptic mixture of poetry, philosophy and theatre make them an interesting case of study. Even though the critics use to focus on the essays of Claire Lejeune, it’s time now to go beyond these boundaries and claim the value of her not well-known works. This PhD thesis aims to offer a global approach to her dramaturgy. Following the methodology of Pierre Bourdieu and the literary sociology, I’ll suggest new readings on different texts and on its contexts and ‘co-texts’. My goal is to contribute to the theoretical framework in the study of Claire Lejeune’s ‘fait littéraire’.