Writing and Control in Hervé Guibert’s 'À l’ami qui ne m’a pas sauvé la vie' and 'Le Protocole compassionnel'

Abstract

This thesis examines the interplay between the themes of writing and control in two of Hervé Guibert’s autofictional texts which concern his experiences with HIV/AIDS: À l’ami qui ne m’a pas sauvé la vie and Le Protocole compassionnel. Beginning with an examination of how Guibert establishes as its own theme the act of writing his texts, the thesis goes on to analyse the various obstacles affecting his work and to which his writing responds. These include the progression of HIV/AIDS, its impact on Guibert’s body, the effect of trauma, and the taboo in writing. It argues that, faced with the unknowable situation of AIDS, and the lack of control it brings with it, Guibert centres the writing process in order to explore new challenges in his life, and that, through writing, he attempts to find a means to express the frustrations of his new reality, as well as the sense of control that is disrupted in other aspects of his life. Focusing on close readings of the two texts, this study furthermore demonstrates the way in which Guibert exploits style and structure to imbue his writing with the immediacy of his experience.