Michel Houellebecq: Google, Plagiarism, and Postproduction. Issue 4 (8th August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Williams, Russell
• Is Part Of: Contemporary French and francophone studies. Volume 23:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 414
• Page End: 424
• Publication Date: 2019-08-08
• Subjects: Houellebecq -- plagiarism -- Information Technology -- Wikipedia -- French literature; French literature -- Periodicals; France -- Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Study and teaching -- France -- Periodicals; 306.094405
• DOI: 10.1080/17409292.2019.1703307
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-9292

Abstract

Abstract: This article explores the notorious contemporary French writer Michel Houellebecq in a way that differs from the major critical approaches to his work. While there is a tendency to investigate, describe, and (perhaps) celebrate his individual style, this essay questions the extent to which he is a product of the Google era, and how this manifests in the formal dimension of his work. In doing so, this essay suggests a new way of reading this provocative writer, one that has implications for the contemporary reading, writing, and teaching of literature in the Academy.