Rabelais, Cohen, and the Francophone world: Linguistic incorrectness as a poetic principle

The Rabelaisian echoes noted by many researchers in Albert Cohen’s work invite us to reflect on the linguistic implications of this filiation. Far from being limited to a few borrowed motifs, it permeates the very nature of Cohen’s language. This resemblance reminds us of those Francophone writers who see Rabelais as their literary paternal figure, whose shifting and colorful language serves as both their pre-classical heritage and the legitimation of their linguistic marginality.