Philippe Forest - Shakespeare. Quelqu'un, tout le monde et puis personne

The talk offers a thoughtful and erudite reflection on the nature of biography and the challenge of writing about a figure like Shakespeare. Forest’s argument is well-structured, moving from personal anecdote to literary theory to the specific case of Shakespeare. He draws on a range of references, including Aragon, Hazlitt, and the Bible, to support his points. The strength of the talk lies in its philosophical depth and the coherence of its central thesis: that writing about another is always a form of self-writing. However, the talk is not a rigorous scholarly analysis; it is an opinion piece, and Forest himself acknowledges that he is not a Shakespeare specialist. The lack of concrete evidence or detailed textual analysis may disappoint viewers seeking factual information about Shakespeare’s life. The sources cited are limited to the speaker’s own works and general literary references, with no direct citations to academic studies. The talk’s value is more in its literary and philosophical insights than in its factual content. The title accurately reflects the content, and the talk does not mislead. Overall, it is a high-quality, thought-provoking lecture, but it is not a comprehensive or systematic study.

The title accurately reflects the content: a personal and philosophical exploration of Shakespeare's identity, emphasizing his universality and elusiveness.

8/10

The speaker is a professor of literature at Nantes University with extensive publications on literary figures. The talk is a personal and subjective essay on Shakespeare, not a scholarly lecture, but it is grounded in literary theory and references to authors like Aragon and Hazlitt. The content is coherent and well-structured, though it lacks empirical data or systematic analysis.

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

• 00:00Introduction: Forest explains the book is not really about Shakespeare but uses him as a pretext for a personal essay.
• 03:00Forest discusses the collection 'D'après' and the principle of inviting writers to evoke great creators subjectively.
• 06:00Forest introduces the concepts of autofiction and exofiction, and how they relate to biography.
• 09:00Forest cites Aragon's idea that writing another's life is always writing one's own.
• 12:00Forest mentions his previous works, including biographies of Aragon and Napoleon, and the novel 'Sarinagara'.
• 15:00Forest introduces the paradox of Shakespeare: we know everything and nothing about him.
• 18:00Forest quotes Hazlitt's 1818 essay on Shakespeare, describing him as 'nothing in himself' but everything in others.
• 21:00Forest explains how this paradox inspired the title of his book and his approach to writing about Shakespeare.

• Nantes Université LinkedIn — Official university page, mentioned in the video description.
• Nantes Université YouTube Channel — Channel subscription link, mentioned in the video description.

• Nantes Université LinkedIn — Official university page, consistent with the speaker's affiliation.