HomeMust one imagine Sisyphus happy?
Must one imagine Sisyphus happy?
Faut-il imaginer Sisyphe heureux ?
Published on Monday, August 26, 2024
Abstract
On the occasion of the multimedia exhibition «Must one imagine Sisyphus happy?», a symposium, also titled «Must one imagine Sisyphus happy?», aims to explore the discourses and postures that emerge from literary texts over the centuries (16th-21st centuries) concerning the ethics of work. From Robinson Crusoe to Annie Ernaux, we wish to engage, through a series of case studies, with the inner lives of the characters represented over the centuries. We will also question the perspectives and postures of the narrators, as well as those of the authors (who sometimes, especially before the 20th century, represent labour without having experienced it firsthand). In short, we wish to delve into the ambivalence of literary texts.
Announcement
Argument
On the occasion of the multimedia exhibition «Must one imagine Sisyphus happy?» (September 30th-October 18th 2024, ITI Lethica, MISHA, Université de Strasbourg), a symposium, also titled «Must one imagine Sisyphus happy?», aims to explore the discourses and postures that emerge from literary texts over the centuries (16th-21st centuries) concerning the ethics of work. The year 1543 is chosen as the symbolic starting date: it is the year of the publication of the third edition of Calvin’s Institutes, which, according to Max Weber, marks the birth of the ethics of capitalism.
During the Classical Age, and — although in a more complex and nuanced way — also throughout the Middle Ages, work was considered a degrading activity, unworthy of free men. Even texts that encourage work, such as Hesiod’s Works and Days (8th century b.C.) or the Rule of Saint Benedict (6th century), do not conceive it as a noble activity in itself, but rather as a form of religious discipline. Agricultural work was seen by Hesiod as a way to submit oneself to the will of the gods (Vernant 2006); to Benedictine monks, manual labor was a means to mortify the flesh and, though fatigue, ward off temptations (Fossier 2012).
It only with the rise of the bourgeoisie that a moral revolution occurs. As the new dominant class, the bourgeoisie opposes aristocracy by working, and by claiming the virtue of work, in contrast to the idleness of the aristocrats (Elias 1978). Since the 16th century, work has thus gradually been endowed with an ethical significance, and ideologically associated with the idea of happiness.
Even nowadays, in line with a debate that has lasted at least since the 18th century (Sennett 1998), two opposing conceptions of work confront each other: on one side, the idea of work as an alienated and alienating experience, devoid of any meaning; on the other, the idea of work as a source of personal fulfillment and happiness.
During the symposium, we aim to explore this issue by asking: is work, as Primo Levi suggested in The Wrench, «the best, most concrete approximation of happiness on earth»? Or is it, conversely, an «infernal time», devoid of all experiential value, as Walter Benjamin argued in his essays on Baudelaire? When, and under what conditions, does work cease to be one, and becomes the other? Why is this experience conceptualized, by different authors, is such diametrically opposed ways? What are the ideologies that emerge from literary texts? What is the place, within this debate, of the invisible labour of women, of care work, that has been long considered an act of love, rather than «actual» work?
From Robinson Crusoe to Annie Ernaux, we wish to engage, through a series of case studies, with the inner lives of the characters represented over the centuries. We will also question the perspectives and postures of the narrators, as well as those of the authors (who sometimes, especially before the 20th century, represent labour without having experienced it firsthand). In short, we wish to delve into the ambivalence of literary texts.
At the end of the symposium, we will be delighted to invite the participants to a visit of the exhibition, as well as to the performance Les Mains Rouges, by and with Jean-Christophe Vermot-Gauchy, based on his experience as a cleaner (https://lethica.unistra.fr/lethictionnaire/article/les-mains-rouges-vous-allez-adorer-rentrer-chez-vous-de-jean-christophe-vermot-gauchy).
Organization
Organized by ITI Lethica - Université de Strasbourg (https://lethica.unistra.fr/), the symposium is endorsed by the project OBERT (Observatoire Européen des Récits sur le Travail).
Submission guidelines
Proposals for presentations, in English or French, may focus on case studies from the Western literary tradition, from the 16th century to the present day. Proposals on texts from the 16th to the 18th century, which are less frequently explored in studies on the representation of work, are highly encouraged.
Proposals must be sent to Dr. Nicole Siri (siri@unistra.fr)
by August 26th, 2024.
They should include a title, an abstract (1000-1500 words), and a short biobibliography of the author.
Selection committee
Nicole Siri (Université de Strasbourg, Post-doc), et M.me Corinne Grenouillet (Université de Strasbourg, professeure).
References
H. Arendt, The Human Condition [1958], Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1998
W. Benjamin, The Writer of Modern Life. Essays on Charles Baudelaire [1939], ed. by M.W. Jennings, Cambridge (MA), Harvard University Press, 2006
M. Denning, « L’Internazionale dei romanzieri », in Il romanzo. Volume terzo. Storia e geografia, ed. by F. Moretti, Torino, Einaudi, 2002, p. 625-643
N. Elias, The Civilising Process vol. I: History of Manners [1939], New York, Urizen Books, 1978
R. Fossier, Le Travail au Moyen Âge, Paris, Pluriel, 2012
N. Fraser, « Social justice in the age of identity politics: Redistribution, recognition, participation », WZB Discussion Paper, No. FS I 98-108, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB), Berlin, 1998
C. Grenouillet, Usines en texte écritures au travail, Paris, Garnier, 2015
A. Labadie, Le Roman d’entreprise français au tournant du XXIe siècle, Paris, Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 2016
J. Lennon - M. Nilson, Working Class Literature(s). Historical and International Perspectives, Stockholm, Stockholm University Press, 2017
G. Lukács, Ontology of Social Being, vol. 3, Labour, London, Merlin Press, 1980
R. Sennett, The Corrosion of Character. The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism, New York, Norton and Company, 1998
M. Spinelli et C. Baghetti (dir.), Représentations artistiques du travail des femmes. Entre persistance et changement, Aix-en-Provence, Presses Universitaires de Provence, 2023
J.-P. Vernant, Myth and Thought among the Greeks [1965], New York, Zone Books, 2006
M. Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism: and other writings, London, Penguin, 2002
Subjects
- Representation (Main category)
- Mind and language > Representation > Cultural history
- Mind and language > Language > Literature
Places
- Strasbourg, France (67)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Monday, August 26, 2024
Keywords
- comparative literature, work, work ethic
Information source
- Nicole Siri
courriel : siri [at] unistra [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0 .
To cite this announcement
Nicole Siri, « Must one imagine Sisyphus happy? », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Monday, August 26, 2024, https://doi.org/10.58079/1274z
