Penser des empathies de la forme avec le cycle Soifs de Marie-Claire Blais

The Soifs cycle by Marie-Claire Blais (published between 1995 and 2022) depicts life on an American island and its diverse population of artists, writers, activists and refugees. A distinguishing feature of this major literary work is its form, often described as a long sentence with elaborate punctuation that unfolds like a single breath over the course of each volume. The narrative shifts from one voice to the other, seemingly disappearing behind the multiplicity of voices that make it up, produces a particularly immersive reading experience. Although the text thematizes empathy, we look more specifically at how its form succeeds in creating an empathetic response in the reader. Following in the footsteps of reception theories (Iser, Ingarden), this contribution proposes to consider the textual means that a literary work can use to place empathy at the heart of the reading experience – and above all, the ethical issues that accompany such proximity of the reader to the narrative.

Keywords: literary form, contemporary Quebec literature, effects on the reader, narrative voice, reader-response criticism