From Tzvetan Todorov's Littérature et signification to Critique de la critique : Can the scientific poetics continue?

Abstract

This article aims to present theoretical notions about literature and literary analytical reading from one French academic researcher of Bulgarian origin. Tzevetan Todorov, particularly his theory about poetry without verse or the poem in prose, whose verse — that first important characteristic of poetry — has been totally abandoned. In the period 1960 – 1970, Todorov was interested in the aesthetics or the structure of literary works. He conducted his research with the conviction that the poetics could be continuously developed, and would be the solid foundation for literary studies in which literature has its unity, even if we work with prose or verse and even if literary works studied has been created by conforming, or not, to the rules of poetics. The reading theory, that focuses on the internal elements of composing text hopes to guide the readers to the literarity of literature by the language in that work. Nevertheless, from this theoretical position, Todorov has developed his structuralist concepts by criticizing his own theory before rejecting that position and turning at last to adopt the humanist position : searching for the meaning in/of literary work, and the meaning of person, of life and the world, in close relation with social, cultural, political and historical contexts.