Autoportrait, dérision, accusation La visite à l’écrivain chez Houellebecq et Rousseau

Striking connections exist between the Dialogues of Rousseau juge de Jean- Jacques and Houellebecq’s La Carte et le territoire : both works stage the visit of a benevolent alter ego to the writer. These strange representations of the author through the eyes of another reveal the desire of both writers to regain control of their public image that has emerged from their writings and controversial standpoints.