FRENCH NOVEL

Proletariat (Labor Power)

People who only have their labor to sell. They are often dependent on wages from employers and lack ownership of production means, representing the working class in Marxist theory.

Means of Production ( Bourgeoisie)

No work is done without the means of production, which are owned by the bourgeoisie. These means include factories, machinery, and tools used to create goods and services.

Petite Bourgeoisie

Small business owners that is between working class and middle class. They often own some means of production but still rely on their labor for income, playing an intermediary role in the class structure.

Transclass 

Someone who crosses from one class to another. Ex: Annie becomes middle/intellectual class→ feels guilt. 

Class is cultural, not just economic

Class shows in taste, language, manners. It influences social interactions and perceptions of identity.

Bourdieu’s Forms of Capital

Capital what's gives social advantage beyond money. 1. Economic → money, property. 2. Cultural capital→ education, taste, how to speak and behave. 3. Social capital → connections, networks. 4. Symbolic → prestige, reputation, “ fame without money” Ex: the father gains economic capital, but lacks cultural & symbolic capital→ shame.

Alienation (Mark)

A feeling of disconnection or estrangement from oneself or society, often resulting from societal structures or personal experiences. In Marxist theory, it reflects the separation of individuals from their work, products, and fellow humans. For workers→ They use their body as tools against themselves making them feel separated from their own labor. So Annies father feels alienated when trying to fit into a class he was not raised in. This in which creates guilt for Annie for leaving the working class and he father feels ashamed he cannot fully become bourgeois. 

Language & Narrative Form

Ernaux is blurring fiction & Reality. Observing her own life from the outside. Using Transpersonal “I”, Narrative vs Discourse, Mimesis vs. Diegesis, and Free Indirect Discourse.

“Transpersonal I”

A narrative technique used by Ernaux where the author writes from an observer's perspective, allowing for a more detached view of personal experiences. No fully personal, not fully objective. “I'“ becomes collective

Blurring Fiction & Reality

Writing from memory without drama, without idealization and emphasizing the authenticity of lived experiences, creating a blend of fact and fiction.

Story vs. Discourse 

She focus more on discourse than story which is the telling is more important than the event themselves.

Types of Narrative Discourse in the Text

Direct-→ Shows the speech exactly. Ex: My father said, “I’m happy”

Indirect-→ Add narrator interpretation. Ex: My father said that he was happy.

Freedirect→ Blends narrator & character consciousness. Ex: My father was happy. 

Mimesis Vs. Diegesis

Mimesis refers to imitation of reality in art and literature, while diegesis involves the narration of events through a narrator's perspective. These concepts contrast how stories are told versus what is expressed in the story.

La Complicite ( Translation Issue)

In french, complicite= closeness, shared understanding, no negative meaning

In english, accomplice= implies crime, negative.

The Transclass problem

Transclass is the idea of having different class then your parents. 

Ex: Annie moves from working class to educated middle class

Class Defector

A person who changes social classes, often through education, and may struggle with identity as they don't fully fit into either class they left or joined.