Art de la plume et art du sabre : éprouver l'intangible : l'horizon partagé d'oeuvres poétiques françaises et d'un art martial oriental en contexte contemporain (Henry Bauchau, Christian Dotremont, Yves Bonnefoy)

The dissertation aims to understand the forms and issues of a Far-Eastern imaginary at work within the French poetry after 1945, in particular Henry Bauchau (born 1913), Christian Dotremont (born 1922) and Yves Bonnefoy (born 1923). This imaginary invites to literally consider creation in action, as creation must be regarded as a performance, similar to what can be observed in the martial arts. The main goal is to understand how the Far-Eastern imaginary leaves singularly its mark on each of those major poetic works. The dissertation aims to enlighten the singularities, from a standpoint where creation is considered as gesture and presence, as martial arts implement gesture and presence in their own fashion. In order to achieve this particular aim, it is essential to use multi-field theoretical tools, including the phenomenology developed by Michel Henry. This approach will renew several literary concepts as well as highlight what often remains as a blind spot in literary theory: the essential affectivity in reading and writing. In particular, we observe warlike and healing virtues of writing, the question of the scriptwriting as a gesture and the spiritual dimension attached to it. More deeply, these approaches will enlighten creation as a process inducing a well-being for the creator as for the reader.