2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Clerical Imagery in French Literature of the 19th Century : between Politic. and Religious Spirituality
| Project/Area Number |
16520180
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
ヨーロッパ語系文学
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| Research Institution | Nihon University |
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Principal Investigator |
ESHIMA Yasuko Nihon University, College of law, professor (80219261)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2007
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| Keywords | French literature / the 19th Century / Christianity / clergy, priest / anticlericalism |
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| Research Abstract |
This research aims to contrast the unique characteristics of several authors by drawing a supplementary line distinguishing clerical imagery against aspects of politics, society and literature of the 19th Century. In addition, the idea of diversity in 19th Century literature was viewed anew. The spirit of the 19th Century was viewed through the imagery of the Catholic Church's contemporary priesthood in the context of their church system. Although clerical imagery research concerning certain authors and other outline research had existed, there had been no research in the exact area of this study.
This research is composed as follows : The first chapter "Church and clergy under Concordat" ; the organization, tendencies and spirit of Catholicism were studied through theological and sociological material in order to understand the clerical imagery which appears in literature. The second chapter "Clerical imagery as anti-nature" ; a genealogy among the anticlerical principles of the 19th Century was described by considering the tie between Michelet and Zola in order to clarify the two authors' commonalities and differences. In the third chapter "Man of the Absolute, Man of the past", the contemplation concerning "existence as priest" by Hugo and Renan was looked at. The fourth chapter, "Belief or Temptation of the Belief and Clerical Imagery", analyzes both Sainte-Beuve and Huysmans's understandings of the anguish of lust and belief against clerical imagery. A part of the dynamism of French literature in the 19th Century was clarified by examining several authors' clerical imagery collectively.
The thesis concerning Renan was published in 'Renan Society Magazine' (Bulletin de la Societe des Etudes Renaniennes). Moreover, the thesis gained enough recognition for a lecture to be requested by the Renan Sectional Meeting of Association Internationale des Etudes Francaises (AIEF) in July, 2009.
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