Aragon résistant : la construction d'un discours national

Hervé Bismuth (1)

1 TIL - Centre Interlangues - Texte, Image, Langage

It is well known that one of the most illustrious pages of the political and literary history of France is the one written by the Communist poet and novelist Aragon who united the idea of the nation with that of resistance, thus salvaging for the next generations the honor of the Republic. It is nonetheless true that his discourse advocating resistance and his calls, in various forms, for national unity are not only circumstantial. They participate in the progressive elaboration of a national myth that can be traced back to the 1930s and to Maurice Thorez, the leader of a party which added the adjective “French” to its name. It was Aragon's role to foster the literary aspect of this national myth. The present study aims at taking stock of the development of this national discourse in Aragon's writings and of its major issues in the context of the events of the 1930s and 1940s.

On sait qu'au nombre des pages importantes de l'Histoire littéraire et politique de la France figurent celles sur lesquelles le communiste Aragon a associé l'idée de Nation à celle de Résistance, sauvant ainsi pour les générations suivantes l'honneur de ceux qui bradèrent la République. Reste que ce discours de résistance et ses appels, sous des formes diverses, à l'unité nationale, n'est pas seulement un appel de circonstance. Il s'inscrit dans la lente élaboration d'un mythe national mis au jour depuis les années 1930 sous Maurice Thorez dans un parti qui se désigne à présent comme « français » : c'est déjà à Aragon que revient la paternité du versant littéraire de ce mythe national. Cette étude se propose de faire un point sur la mise en place de ce discours national chez Aragon, et de ses enjeux dans l'actualité des années trente à quarante. It is well known that one of the most illustrious pages of the political and literary history of France is the one written by the Communist poet and novelist Aragon who united the idea of the nation with that of resistance, thus salvaging for the next generations the honor of the Republic. It is nonetheless true that his discourse advocating resistance and his calls, in various forms, for national unity are not only circumstantial. They participate in the progressive elaboration of a national myth that can be traced back to the 1930s and to Maurice Thorez, the leader of a party which added the adjective " French " to its name. It was Aragon's role to foster the literary aspect of this national myth. The present study aims at taking stock of the development of this national discourse in Aragon's writings and of its major issues in the context of the events of the 1930s and 1940s.

Mots clés: communiste; nation; Aragon; discours; Résistance; international

Domaines: Histoire

Hervé Bismuth. Aragon résistant : la construction d'un discours national. Textes & Contextes, 2014, Le Temps guérit toutes les blessures : La Résistance à l'autorité de l'Histoire dans les concepts de nation et de nationalisme, 9. ⟨halshs-01240038⟩