“Brûler du même feu”: The Invention of a Communauté Jouissante in Éric Vuillard’s 14 juillet

Abstract

Éric Vuillard’s 14 juillet deals with the events of the early French Revolution. In this thesis, I argue that the text is subversive in its interruption of mythic narratives, as well as in its invention of a communauté jouissante. The narrative presents the French Revolution in an unconventional way, subverting the mainstream narratives around it, while also being stylistically inventive. Drawing on Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Nancy, with an excursion into queer nihilist theory, I show that 14 juillet avoids being neutralized as fiction. It does so first of all through its interruption of myth. It is also subversive in its destabilization of language that leaves a space for multiple voices. Finally, by implicating the reader in its inscriptions of jouissance, the text is subversive in its invention of a coming community.