Hélène Jaccomard, "Crossing genres: novelistic techniques in

Hélène Jaccomard, "Crossing genres: novelistic techniques in Yasmina Reza's
plays"
My intention was to talk about my book, Les fruits de la passion: le théâtre de Yasmina Reza.
But I realised that it was not going to be easy to follow the various arguments developed in
the 254 pages, with ten plays to cover. Instead I will discuss a work in progress, one aspect of
Reza’s works which I only alluded to in my book, the use of novelistic techniques in her
plays. Although the argument could be turned on its head – her six novels make heavy use of
dramatic techniques – today I will concentrate on genre crossing in her plays. Reza’s success
is in part due to the innovations in contemporary boulevard theatre she experimented with.
Her plays are mostly minimalistic and rather static “fun tragedies”. Paradoxically what gives
them vigour and dramatic tension is the integration of novelistic techniques such as mises en
abyme, literary criticism as a theme, and (self)quotations, a kind of hyper-intertextuality that
can be labelled “literary ventriloquism”.
Works by Yasmina Reza1
Plays
Comment vous racontez la partie. [How you describe the game] Paris : Flammarion, 2011.
Le Dieu du carnage. [The God of Carnage] [Paris : Albin Michel, 2006] Berlin : Reclam Phillip Jun, 2008.
Dans la luge de Schopenhauer. [Paris : Albin Michel, 2005] Paris : J’ai Lu, 2007.
Une pièce espagnole. [A Spanish Play] Paris : Albin Michel, 2004.
Trois versions de la vie. [Life x 3] [Paris : Albin Michel, 2000] 2003. Berlin : Reclam Phillip Jun.
Le pique-nique de Lulu Kreutz. Paris : Albin Michel, 2000.
« Art ». [Arles : Actes Sud papiers, 1994, 1999 ; Paris : Magnard, 2002 ; Paris : Hatier « Profil d’une œuvre » ;
1998, 2002, 2005] Paris : Albin Michel, 2009.
La Traversée de l'hiver. [Arles : Actes sud Papiers, 1992] Paris : Albin Michel, 2009.
L’Homme du hasard. [TheUnexpected Man] [Arles : Actes Sud papiers, 1992, 1998] Paris : Albin Michel, 2009.
Conversations après un enterrement. [Conversations after a Burial] [Arles : Actes Sud Papiers, 1987, 1992]
Paris : Albin Michel, 2009.
Novels
Heureux les heureux. Paris : Flammarion, 2013
L’aube le soir ou la nuit. [Dawn Evening or Night] [Paris : Flammarion, 2007 ; Berlin : Reclam Phillip Jun,
2008.] Paris : J’ai lu, 2009.
Nulle part. [Nowhere] [2005. Paris : Albin Michel.] Paris : J’ai lu, 2007.
Adam Haberberg. Paris : Albin Michel. 2003. [reprinted in 2009 as Hommes qui ne savent pas être aimés]
[Adam Haberberg : Men who don’t know how to be loved]
Hammerklavier. [1997] Paris : Albin Michel, 1999.
1
Into brackets the title in the English translation when available. A few of Rez’as works have not yet been translated.
Une désolation. [A Desolation] Paris : Albin Michel, 1999.