Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Representations of rugby and resistance in Toulon: from literary tradition to televised spectacle

2014; Liverpool University Press; Volume: 39; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3828/cfc.2014.6

2044-396X

Cathal Kilcline,

Linguistics and Discourse Analysis

Rugby in France has a rich tradition of writers, novelists, and storytellerswho have documented the heritage and values of the game in the writtenpress and in their essays and books charting the rich tapestry of local teamsand heroes that together compose l’Ovalie – the land of the oval ball. Thisarticle traces this literary legacy in relation to one particular institution,Rugby Club Toulonnais. The analysis focuses on key events in the history ofthe club, the work of a number of esteemed sports writers, such as HenriGarcia, Denis Lalanne, Denis Tillinac, and the impact of a selection of particularlyimportant individuals associated with Toulon city and club, includingthe Herrero and Boudjellal brothers. This cultural production, in writtenpress, autobiography, travel literature, and bande dessinee yields importantinsights into the processes involved in personal or communal identificationwith a locality through sporting practice. In a city marked by its history ofcross-Mediterranean exchanges, the represen...