Beatrice Didier's 'Le Journal Intime': A Study of the Genre and its Significance

In 2001, Beatrice Didier published 'Genre Litteraire et Ecriture Ordinaire', a study that marked a significant shift in the way scholars approached the journal intime. The new edition of this work, prefaced with a foreword by Philippe Lejeune, represents an updated and slightly expanded version of the original publication.

The journal intime has traditionally been viewed as an 'other' within literary texts, but Lejeune's groundbreaking study, 'Le Moi des Demoiselles', published in 1993, challenged this perspective. Instead, he positioned the journal as a cultural practice that signified within a context of other daily practices. For example, for young girls whose diaries he carefully read, these practices might range from performing their daily toilette to embroidering linen.

In her monograph, Ir Francoise Simonet-Tenant inscribes herself within this shift of focus. Unlike previous studies, which focused on the journal as text and not as practice, Simonet-Tenant's work examines the genre as a cultural phenomenon that reflects societal values and individual character. This approach is in contrast to earlier analyses, which viewed the journal as a means of extracting insights into an individual's character or society at large.

The past fifteen years have seen a significant growth in critical interest in the journal intime in France. Scholars such as Leleu, Girard, and Didier have contributed to this renewed focus, exploring the genre through various lenses. Didier's own work, for instance, has been criticized for its emphasis on reading habits cultivated through a long acquaintance with literary narrative, which may have led to a perception of the journal as passive and lacking in structure.

Despite these criticisms, Simonet-Tenant's study demonstrates that the journal intime remains a rich and complex genre worthy of continued scholarly attention. By examining the ways in which young girls' diaries reflect their daily practices and cultural values, we can gain a deeper understanding of the significance of this genre in French literary history.

Beatrice didier.le journal intime