Abstract: Science Set Journal of Economics Research

Abstract:
Théophile Gautier's relationship with history has been the subject of a number of criticisms over the years. In the collective work edited by Martine Lavaud and Corinne Saminadayar-Perrin (2012), it is argued that Gautier is an an historical writer, even a contempt or of history. Indeed, for these critics, Théophile Gautier's fictions have no real connection with history: Théophile Gautier does not write history in the sense of Michel de Certeau (177). The aim of this article is to study Le Roman de la momie (1858). The aim is to show that, contrary to what critics think of Théophile Gautier's relationship with history, he sees it as a channel through which to access his first passion, painting. Indeed, through history, Théophile Gautier sets up a transposition of art through pictorial writing. Drawing on the mechanisms of pictorial writing developed by Bernard Vouilloux (1994) and Liliane Louvel (2002), we show how history serves as Théophile Gautier's backdrop.