Just Words

Just Words: Moralism and Metalanguage, Volume 1, examines the tension between a novelist's pursuit of moral truth and the formal constraints of language. Robert W. Greene analyzes whether the words used in French fiction are truly adequate to describe the human condition or if they function as formal maneuvers. This scholarly work explores the intersection of ethics in literature and metalinguistic commentary, focusing on the convergence of these two intentions.

Greene focuses on twentieth-century French fiction, spanning from 1902 to 1980. Through a detailed history and criticism of prose narrative, the text analyzes the works of Gide, Proust, Malraux, Camus, Duras, and Sarraute. By investigating moral conditions in literature and narration, this volume provides a rigorous study of how authors navigate the relationship between the heart and the tongue within the realm of French fiction.