Grief and Mourning in Contemporary Parental Récits de deuil

Since the turn of the century, there has been a shift in French literary production towards 'relational literature' in which the 'individu fragile' shares their experience of suffering (Gefen, 2017). Whereas recent critical attention has focused on representations of illness and disability in these récits, my thesis will take a new approach and examine grief and mourning in accounts that not only break the taboo on talking about death, but deal specifically with an experience that has long been characterised as unspeakable: the loss of a child.
Although several writers have explored the shifting social attitudes towards death, euthanasia and palliative care in France, the role of literature in understanding the complex experiences of grief and mourning remains remarkably absent from the critical landscape. My thesis will build on two recent monographs, by Rushworth (2016) and Elsner (2017), which have initiated in-depth analysis of this theme. However, where these studies focused exclusively on texts from the long nineteenth century or earlier, my project will explore the role of new forms of French literature in understanding experiences of loss. In focusing on autobiographical texts that deal with the loss of a child, my project will also differ fundamentally from those by Rushworth and Elsner, who avoid this perspective. Moreover, while 'The Motherhood Project', at NUI Maynooth, has touched on pan-European cultural discourses of miscarriage or stillbirth, my work will provide the first extended literary analysis of contemporary French récits de deuil, from both motherly and fatherly perspectives.
The corpus, dealing with the grief of fathers and mothers in reaction to a sudden, unanticipated loss or a loss through terminal illness, has been chosen to ensure that these distinctive perspectives are privileged. Narratives to be considered include works by well- and lesser-known authors, such as: Marie Darrieussecq, Sophie Daull, Philippe Forest, Camille Laurens and Georges Salines. In a final chapter, I will compare parental témoignages, published online, with literary narratives on grief and mourning, in order to analyse Gefen's claim that 'la littérature relationnelle' has brought about a collapse in distinctions between 'la littérature "ordinaire"' and 'la "haute" littérature'.
The following research questions will structure the five thesis chapters: what is the role of literature in generating knowledge of the experience of loss? How do authors who have personally experienced the loss of a child write differently from those who have not? How do mothers' and fathers' grief narratives differ, in terms of style, content and language? How does writing impact upon the healing process, following the loss of a child? What do contemporary récits de deuil tell us about the shifting French literary landscape? In order to address these questions, I will take a tripartite methodological approach. Firstly, close readings of parental récits de deuil will be situated within the socio-cultural context that informs their writing. Secondly, the project will be supported by recent sociological and theoretical publications on the processes of mourning in family contexts (Beauthéac, 2017) and on the stages of traumatic memory (Freud, 1917; Abraham & Torok, 1987; Caruth, 1996; Figley, 2012). Finally, the literary dimensions of the thesis will be addressed by examining Gefen's idea of literature as 'réparatrice' and the role of literature in immortalising lost loved ones (Glaudes & Rabaté, 2005).
A confirmed placement opportunity with a Paediatric Palliative Care Unit in Brittany will inform the thesis and provide a means of dissemination for my research. This practical application of my work, in the field of palliative care, will fit neatly with two of the priorities identified in the recent Edinburgh Companion to the Critical Medical Humanities (2016): moving beyond the anglophone world and feeding directly into care provision.