Arches zoopoétiques : littérature et déluges contemporains - 2026-2027 (6)

Arches zoopoétiques : littérature et déluges contemporains - 2026-2027 (6)

Zoopoetic Arches: literature and contemporary floods - 2026-2027 (6)

by Anne Simon · View the channel on PSI

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Literature & Writing DSBLiterary studies: generalDSBJLiterary studies: from c 2000
🎙 Anne Simon 👥 152K 📅 October 23, 2026 ⏱ 30 min 👁 1 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-10-23
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

zoopoeticsecocriticismliteratureextinctionanimal studies

Summary

In this lecture delivered at the Collège de France’s 2026 opening conference centered on the animal, Anne Simon, CNRS research director and professor at ENS-PSL, investigates contemporary literary reinterpretations of the biblical and Mesopotamian Ark narrative through the lens of ‘zoopoetics.’ She traces the evolution of the Ark from a fragile casket (Hebrew teva) through various modern guises: the maternal matrix, the tomb, the natural history museum, the mercantile ship, the biobank, and the interstellar vessel. Drawing on Jacques Derrida’s critique of the monolithic ‘Animal,’ Simon posits that literature uniquely mobilizes the qualitative diversity of animal life through syntax, rhythm, and rich adjectival language. She analyzes works by Jules Supervielle, Gérard Haller, Éric Chevillard (L’Arche Titanic), Francis Tabouret, and Élisabeth Filleul, as well as the Mexican poet Homero Aridjis. The lecture argues that contemporary literary ‘arks’ are not merely containers of life but the living act itself, responding to urgent issues of ecological degradation, the exploitation of the living, and collective memory. Simon concludes by highlighting the fragile, poetic refuge offered to animals in an age of extinction.

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Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The value of the information lies in the original synthesis of a recurring literary motif (the Ark) with pressing contemporary ecological and ethical crises, grounded in the rigorous theoretical apparatus of ‘zoopoetics,’ which Simon herself has significantly defined. The argumentation is solid, built upon close readings of specific texts (notably Haller, Chevillard, and Aridjis) and a clear etymological distinction between the Hebrew teva and the Latin arca. Simon successfully connects literary analysis to philosophical traditions (Derrida, Merleau-Ponty) without succumbing to reductive analogies. The lecture offers a coherent and dense demonstration of how literature gives voice, place, and memory to non-human beings, emphasizing perception, rhythm, and syntax as vital tools for representing animality.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The scientific rigor is very high, consistent with an academic lecture at a prestigious institution. Anne Simon explicitly references numerous primary sources (Bible, Gilgamesh epic, works by Supervielle, Haller, Chevillard, Aridjis) and discloses her interpretive choices, such as focusing solely on the Biblical tradition for temporal reasons. The institutional context (Collège de France, ENS-PSL) guarantees a high standard of scholarship. The title is highly accurate, directly reflecting the lecture’s subject matter—zoopoetic arks in contemporary literature concerning floods—and the description provides relevant supporting links to the Collège de France, aiding traceability. No discordant or contradictory sources were identified within the provided material.

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Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the lecture's core focus on contemporary literary reinterpretations of the Ark and flood motif through the prism of animal presence (zoopoetics).

Quality & Reliability

9/10

Delivered at the Collège de France by a CNRS research director and ENS-PSL professor, this lecture draws on primary texts (Bible, Derrida, contemporary French poetry) and an established scholarly framework (zoopoetics). The argumentation is coherent and transparent, referencing specific works and etymologies. Institutional backing and the speaker's recognized expertise ensure a very high level of reliability, although the oral format limits full footnote-level verification.

Key Moments

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

Cited Sources

Concurring Sources

  • The Animal That Therefore I Am - Wikipedia — Background on Derrida's concept of 'animot' and the philosophical critique aligned with the lecture's thesis.
  • Zoopoetics - Wikipedia — Background on the field of zoopoetics, relevant context for the speaker's own theoretical contributions.

External References

Contribution & Novelties

The lecture provides novel insights by framing the Ark motif in contemporary literature as a response to ecological extinction, moving beyond a purely thematic reading to a syntactic and rhythmic one (‘zoopoetic’). The analysis of works such as Haller’s ‘M’bo’ and Chevillard’s ‘L’Arche Titanic’ as complex examples of a contemporary ‘ark’ in crisis is original. The etymological and translational focus (Teva/Arca, nid/cellule) offers a fresh dimension rarely explored in literary criticism.

Pour aller plus loin :

  • Zoopoetics — Relevant background concept for the approach used by the speaker.
  • The Animal That Therefore I Am — The seminal work by Jacques Derrida referenced in the lecture.
  • Noah’s Ark — The biblical source text central to the lecture’s analysis of the flood narrative.

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Radar Profile

The radar profile shows a very high reliability score (9) and good quality of information (8), reflecting the authoritative academic context. The technical level (7) is appropriate for a specialized lecture, while the quantity of information (7) is moderately limited by the short duration and focused thematic scope. This indicates a highly trustworthy, dense academic source rather than a broad overview.

Reliability 9/10