Note publique d'information : LE PORTRAIT DE GAUTIER EN "MILITANT DU ROMANTISME" PEUT PARAITRE AUSSI EVIDENT QUE
CONTESTABLE : SI D'UN COTE LE GILET ROUGE CREA LE CELEBRE STEREOTYPE DU "SOLDAT",
DE L'AUTRE LE RALLIEMENT DE L'ECRIVAIN AU SECOND EMPIRE, SON ASSERVISSEMENT JOURNALISTIQUE,
ET PLUS PROFONDEMENT LA RESISTANCE DU ROMANTISME A TOUTE CIRCONSCRIPTION DEFINITIONNELLE
COMPROMETTENT LA CREDIBILITE D'UNE TELLE REPRESENTATION. PARCE QU'ELLE TENTE D'EXPLORER
LES LANGAGES D'UN MILITANTISME "VIVANT", POLYMORPHE ET TENACE, CETTE RECHERCHE TRANSVERSALE
TIENT COMPTE DE LA DIVERSITE DE L'OEUVRE, QU'ELLE SOIT CRITIQUE, POETIQUE OU NARRATIVE.
TROIS "STRATES" DU DISCOURS MILITANT SONT AINSI ABORDEES, DE SES PLUS VISIBLES AFFLEUREMENTS
A SES FORMES LES PLUS CRYPTIQUES : CELLE DES TEXTES VIOLEMMENT POLEMIQUES TOURNES
CONTRE LE FLEAU BOURGEOIS; CELLE DES ARTICLES "PEDAGOGIQUES" DE GAUTIER "CONSEILLER"
ESTHETIQUE, ARTISAN D'UNE RECONCILIATION DU POETE ET DU PRINCE; CELLE, PLUS ENFOUIE,
DES REPRESENTATIONS POETIQUES OU S'INSCRIT L'EXPRESSION SUBLIMEE DE SES CONVICTIONS.
NOTRE PREMIERE PARTIE CONCERNE DONC ESSENTIELLEMENT LES ECRITS JEUNES-FRANCE, LA POLEMIQUE
DES GROTESQUES, LES INSOLENCES DE MADEMOISELLE DE MAUPIN OU DU FIGARO... LA SECONDE
EXTRAIT UNE CRITIQUE DU MONDE MODERNE, DE SES REALISATIONS ESTHETIQUES OU TECHNIQUES,
ET TACHE DE MONTRER SA COMPATIBILITE AVEC L'HUGOLATRIE. LA TROISIEME ENFIN, EXHUMANT
LE MILITANTISME IRREDUCTIBLE ENTERRE DANS LES COUCHES PROFONDES DU CAPITAINE FRACASSE,
DE TABLEAUX DE SIEGE ET DE NOMBREUX AUTRES RECITS, ANALYSE CETTE POETIQUE DU REGARD
AMORAL QUI CONSTITUE L'ESSENCE DE LA RESISTANCE ROMANTIQUE.
Note publique d'information : TO PORTRAY GAUTIER AS A STAUNCH ADVOCATE OF ROMANTICISM MAY SEEM AS MUCH OF AN EVIDENCE
AS A QUESTIONABLE REPRESENTATION - IF, ON ONE HAND, THE "GILET ROUGE" COINED THE FAMOUS
STEREOTYPE OF THE SOLDIER, ON THE OTHER HAND, THE WRITER'S RALLYING TO THE "SECOND
EMPIRE", HIS SUBSERVIENCE AS A JOURNALIST, AND MORE BASICALLY THE WAY ROMANTICISM
RESISTS ANY DEFINITION, PUT INTO QUESTION SUCH A REPRESENTATION. THIS MULTIFACETED
RESEARCH TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE VARIETY OF GANDER'S WORKS WHETHER THEY ARE CRITICS,
POEMS, NARRATION, FOR IT ATTEMPTS TO EXPLORE THE LANGUAGES OF A LIVELY POLYMORPHOUS,
DEEP-SEATED MILITANCY. THUS THREE LAYERS OF THE MILITANT DISCOURSE ARE BEING DEALT
WITH, FROM ITS MOST VISIBLE SIGNS TO ITS MOST SECRET FORMS - FIRST, THE HIGHLY POLEMICAL
TEXTS ATTACKING THE BOURGEOIS SCOURGE; THEN THE EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES OF GAUTIER AS
AN AESTHETICAL ADVISER AS WELL AS THE ARCHITECT OF A RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE POET
AND THE PRINCE; FINALLY, THE DEEPEST LAYER OF THE POETICAL REPRESENTATIONS WHERE THE
SUBLIMATED EXPRESSION OF HIS CONVICTIONS IS TO BE FOUND. HENCE, FOR THE MOST PART,
MY FIRST SECTION SHALL EXAMINE THE "JEUNES-FRANCE" WRITINGS, THE CONTROVERSIAL NATURE
OF LES GROTESQUES, THE INSOLENT MOOD OF MADEMOISELLE DE MAUPIN OR THE FIGARO. MY NEXT
SECTION SHALL REVEAL A CRITICAL OUTLOOK ON THE MODEM WORLD WITH ITS AESTHETICAL AND
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS. I SHALL ALSO TRY TO DETERMINE TO WHAT EXTENT IT MIGHT BE COMPATIBLE
WITH THE "HUGOLATRIE". FINALLY, IN MY LAST SECTION, I SHALL ANALYZE THE POETICS OF
THE AMORAL VISION - WHICH IS AT THE BASIS OF THE ROMANTIC RESISTANCE - BY DIGGING
UP THE IRREDUCIBLE MILITANCY BURIED IN THE DEEPEST STRATA OF CAPITAINE FRACASSE, TABLEAUX
DE SIEGE AND MANY OTHER STORIES.