A majority of the chapters in this book were originally presented as papers at a conference
held at Queen's University Belfast in September 2006. The volume explores the oral-written
dynamic in the conte français francophone focusing on key aspects of the relationship between
oral and written forms of the conte. The chapters fall into four broad thematic areas (the
oral-written dynamic in early modern France literary appropriations and transformations
postcolonial contexts storytelling in contemporary France: linguistic strategies). Within
these broad areas some chapters deal with sources and influences (such as that of written on
oral and vice versa) others with the nature of the discourse resulting from an oral-written
dynamic (discourse structure linguistic features etc.) some with the oral-written interface
as it affects the definition of genre others with the role of the 'oral' within the literary
or written text (use of storytelling scenarios the problematics inherent in transcribing
adapting the spoken word etc.). This chronological and methodological range allows us to
situate the emergence of the form in socio-cultural and historical terms and to open up debate
around the role of the conte in particular geographical and political contexts: regional
national European and postcolonial. This book contains contributions in both English and
French.
