Pour un nouveau roman


Pour un nouveau roman, Towards a New Novel ) is a 1963 collection of theoretical writings by French author Alain Robbe-Grillet.

Overview

Published by Les Éditions de Minuit, the articles which constitute the book had been published between 1955 and 1963 in a number of French publications, and some were revised prior to inclusion in the book.
In it, Robbe-Grillet argues that the novel form must be re-imagined by each generation. He takes issue with the common idea that the 19th century bourgeois novel is the benchmark by which all novels must be judged. After all, he argues, each new form of artistic expression was once new and strange. It is the obligation of the artist to create new and strange artworks which, in turn, create reference points to judge future artworks. Controversially, he argues against "several obsolete notions", such as character, story, and depth.
The English translation of the collection by Richard Howard was originally published in the US by Grove Press, and in the UK by Calder Publishing.

Contents