The system of focalisation in the novel The counterfeiters by André Gide

Abstract

One of the key aspects of The Counterfeiters by André Gide is the constant reflection on the act of creation, which is intensified, above all, by the presence of a novelist character who writes a novel with the same title as that of his creator. However, unlike Gide, Édouard produces an unfinished novel: he will never publish it, and readers will never read it. Thus, along with Édouard’s and Gide’s numerous defenses, in their diaries, of an active reader, the novel grants the reader the freedom to imagine what Édouard’s narrative would be like and invites them to complete it. This invitation seems to be reinforced by the novel’s focalisation system, which, by constantly changing the angle from which events are presented, refuses to offer a definitive version of the plot. This paper explores this system, considering the mise en abyme technique, the mirroring of Édouard’s and André Gide’s literary projects, the focalisation on the characters, the narrator’s discourse, and the plot. Finally, based on the discussion of points of view in The Counterfeiters, it reflects on whether this apparent freedom granted to the reader is ultimately relativized by the novel, which marks 100 years since its publication.