Entre durée et instant : les enjeux de la temporalité dans quelques écrits de Marcel Schwob

The aim of this article is to reflect on the features of textual time in three works of Marcel Schwob: Le Livre de Monelle, La Croisade des enfants, and Vies imaginaires. In Schwob’s writing, the concept of time serves to create and transform the meanings of the text. In order to analyse his idea of time, it seems necessary to revisit Bergson’s concept of subjective time experienced through the mode of duration, which refers to time as it is experienced or measured by the consciousness of man. This subjective perception of time, along with the attitude of waiting, come to the fore in Livre de Monelle. Moreover, the polyphonic presentation of the children’s crusade reflects Schwob’s desire to reject traditional notions of temporality by juxtaposing fragmentary stories in accordance with the cult of the moment. Additionally, the depiction of the moment of birth in certain biographies from Vies imaginaires serves as a poetic and symbolic announcement of the moment of death.