• Search Research Projects
  • Search Researchers
  • How to Use
  1. Back to previous page

The notion of the author in the Eighteenth Century France

Research Project

Project/Area Number 11610522
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field 仏語・仏文学
Research InstitutionTokyo Metropolitan University

Principal Investigator

FUJIWARA Mami  The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Tokyo Metropolitan University Assistant Professor, 人文学部, 助教授 (10244401)

Project Period (FY) 1999 – 2000
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2000)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
KeywordsEighteenth Century / French literature / author / authorship / Dideror / Prevest / press / periodical / 読者 / 文芸共和国
Research Abstract

The purpose of the present research is to elucidate, through each author's point of view, the notion of the author-work relationship in the Eighteenth century France. For this stage of the investigation, we have chosen Prevost's periodical Le Pour et contre (1733-40), his other novels, and Diderot's Lettre sur le commerce de la librairie (1763), and examined them in comparison with the laws concerning the press, the writings of other authors, administrators, booksellers and jurist representing the booksellers.
Prevost claims the authors' ownership upon the "form" of the work, but not on its "idea" : he is willing to share with other authors the idea of his work, allowing them to continue his work. For Prevost considers that the author is not someone who "creates", but who learns and makes a present of his knowledge to his contemporaries. Prevost's attitude is therefore quite distant from the romantic conception of the absolute author-work relationship.
As for Diderot, he regards his work as the result of the author's personal efforts, thus absolutely his property. But he also admits that the bookseller having bought a manuscript entirely enjoys the same ownership as its author had. The apparent paradox of this idea results from the fact that Diderot ignores the spiritual aspect of a literary work, assimilating it to material objects just like land and trees. The same idea had been expressed repeatedly by the booksellers and their spokesmen since the beginning of the Eighteenth century. Compared with the idea of able administrators like Malesherbes who had already been aware of the modern notion of the author's right, this aspect of Diderot's thought is surprisingly old-fashioned, which has never been pointed out before us. We are now preparing a French article on this subject.

Report

(3 results)
  • 2000 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 1999 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (6 results)

All Other

All Publications (6 results)

  • [Publications] Mami FUJIWARA: "Les figures de I'anteur chez Prevost"Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century. 11. 91-102 (2000)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] 藤原真実: "作品は誰のもの?-ディドロの『出版業に関する手紙』とその前後"人文学報. 323. 19-68 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Mami FUJIWARA: "Les figures de lauteur chez Prevest"Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century. Vol.11. 91-102 (2000)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Mami FUJIWARA: "Diderot's Lettre sur le commerce de la librairie and the notion of the author-work relationship in the Eighteenth century France"Jinbun-Gakuho. vol.323. 19-68 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Mami FUJIWARA: "Les figures de I'auteur chez Prevost"Studies on voltaire and the Eigteenth Century (SVEC). 11. 91-102 (2000)

    • Related Report
      2000 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 藤原真実: "作品は誰のもの?-ディドロの『出版業に関する手紙』とその前後-"人文学報. 323. 19-69 (2001)

    • Related Report
      2000 Annual Research Report

URL: 

Published: 1999-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

Information User Guide FAQ News Terms of Use Attribution of KAKENHI

Powered by NII kakenhi