Les Bons Contes et les bons mots de ‘Gil Bias’ by Hubert de Phalèse (review)

Abstract

MLR, 99.1, 2004 199 Finally Mme de Stael heralds Romanticism with the 'Histoire de Pauline', so sensi? tive and so tragically misunderstood. The journey accomplished in this vast collection can, however, be summed up nicely from the appendix of paratexts. The first(1717) is subtitled 'Au Beau Sexe' and begins 'Mes Dames' (a very small portion of that sex); the last (1795), subtitled 'L'Ombre d'Helvetius', addresses '[l]es peuples a venir, 6 Francais!' (pp. 1273, I3I4)-A century of stories, the story of a century. Birkbeck College, London Robin Howells Les Bons Contes et les bons mots de 'Gil Blas'. By Hubert de Phalese. (Collection Cap' Agreg 14) [Paris]: Nizet. 2002. 158 pp. ?17. ISBN 2-7078-1271-4. This title forms part of a series designed for advanced university students, written by committee under the pseudonym of Hubert de Phalese. The stated aim of the collection is to explore texts using the methods of information science, a point seemingly taken to heart by the authors of this title. The team have made good use of the Frantext database to search the text of Gil Blas, as well as other novels published in the firsthalf ofthe eighteenth century, to provide a comprehensive lexical breakdown ofthe novel. This elicits some interesting data on vocabulary used by Lesage in this novel and his other works, compared to that of other contemporary novelists. The results of this approach are clearly presented; and the author of this section extracts some salient conclusions concerning, for example, the importance of dialogue (with the frequency of subject pronouns, particularly in the 'tu' form, and verbs such as 'repondit', 'repliquai', 'repartit', 'poursuivit', etc), and the unusual frequency of the indefinite article, 'un' (the author points to its use to designate something or someone as yet unknown, which, as he explains, is a 'situation tres courante dans ce roman ou les personnages vont de decouverte a decouverte' (p. 69)). However, the weight of data means that the text is sometimes short on analysis, largely content with an example-based approach, which will no doubt provide helpful revision material for the students at whom the book is aimed. The collaborative authorial approach does cause some problems forthe reader, and overall, the text would have benefited from a greater degree of editorial attention. In particular, the very differentstyles of the authors of various sections do not add to the coherence of the book. Frequently, the text is disjointed, with similar points being made within a few paragraphs of each other. Well-worn passages of the novel are quoted in support of differentpoints under differentheadings in the text: a greater variety of quotations would have added interest and provided a more complete reading of the novel. The book is also occasionally let down by its typography: one particular frustration was the map plotting the travels of Gil Blas. The near illegibility of place names and the arrows which are supposed to show the direction of travel spoilt what would have been an interesting reference tool. Given the scope and purpose of the collection, though, this title can certainly be forgiven for its notational style and the numerous lists and tables. With a logical, user-friendly structure, a useful section on the context of the novel, and an exhaustive glossary, itwill surely fulfilits purpose as a reference book; and the focus on software-generated lexical analysis will also provide a starting point for more advanced researchers. St John's College, Oxford Alison Roberts ...