“Contourner la censure sociale”. Onomastic transposition as a “form of politeness” in the work of jean-benoît puech

Abstract

Changing one’s name is an effective way for authors of autobiographical texts to avoid legal problems and to escape possible social stereotypes attached to their patronymic. Imposed by social circumstances, onomastic transposition can paradoxically stimulate the writer’s creativity and foster the birth of a new narrative world. This is illustrated by the fictional work of Jean-Benoît Puech, who has developed over the last few decades a bizarre enunciative mode revolving around an imaginary writer. A close reading of the «Jordane Cycle» allows us to shed light on a tendency towards a playful and joyful onomaturgy well established in contemporary
French literature and to ponder the pragmatic effects of self-writing.