Evil: A History in Modern French Literature and Thought

In this original, interdisciplinary approach to evil in French literature, Damian Catani links literary depictions of evil with cultural events to chart a history of the concept in some of the most important texts in modern literature. Beginning with Balzac and Baudelaire, Catani covers the restoration and the Second Empire before interpreting how Catholic stereotypes of the 'evil feminine' and new scientific theories impacted the work of Lautréamont and Zola. Moving into the twentieth century, evil is then explored in terms of the Self, power, knowledge and politics through readings of Proust, Céline, Sartre and Foucault. By seamlessly bringing together aesthetic, philosophical, historical and ideological concerns to read key French writers from the 18th to the 21st century, this study argues why a broader treatment of literary evils is vital to understanding our contemporary moral and political climate.Table of ContentIntroduction \ 1. Approaches to Evil \ 1. Evil and Modernity: Balzac and Baudelaire \ 3. Evil and Science: Lautréamont and Zola \ 4. Evil and the Self: Gide and Proust \ 5. Evil and Ennui: Céline and Bernanos \ 6. Evil, Power and Knowledge: Sartre and Foucault \ 7. Evil, History and Politics: from Hugo to Dantec\ Conclusion \ Select Bibliography \ IndexReview QuoteIn this wide-ranging exploration of evil in literature and film, Catani sets changing moral positions in historical context to create a rich survey of responses to this perennial theme. Seeking a more conceptually rigorous approach to ethical questions than Praz's aestheticisation or Bataille's glamorisation he offers a penetrating and innovative assessment that enhances our understanding of evil.Review QuoteA study that is both wide-ranging and sharply focused.Review QuoteAt the heart of this work is a profound intellectual commitment to the development of the concept of evil as a responsible instrument of critical thought. Such a critical conceptualization is all the more necessary, Catani argues, in the wake of normative and ideological instrumentalization of evil since the advent of the ‘War on Terror’. In this context one of the most important achievements of Catani’s work is to demonstrate that literature, as a discourse of knowledge that can intersect with science, theology, politics, and history, deserves to play a decisive role in deepening and complexifying the terms of public debate.Review QuoteThe breadth of this study, its careful close readings and its lucid style ensure that it will be of interest to scholars and students of modern literature and intellectual historyReview QuoteThis is an absorbing study of the concept of evil in French culture from the 19th century to the present day... The breadth of this study, its careful close readings and its lucid style ensure that it will be of interest to scholars and students of modern literature and intellectual history.Biographical NoteDamian Catani is Lecturer in the Department of European Cultures and Languages at Birkbeck, University of London, UK.An up-to-date, comprehensive and interdisciplinary interpretation of notions of evil in French literature and thought.Combines literary, philosophical and historical readings to explore interpretations of evil.Uses evil, a crucial concept in French literature, to better understand key writers' work.A new, original interdisciplinary approach to studying evil in modern French literature.