What is Annie Ernaux's concept of 'flat writing'?
Flat writing, or 'l'écriture plate,' is my attempt to strip away authorial embellishment and subjective interpretation. I believe that the lyrical, the overtly emotional, can obscure the truth. Instead, I strive for a precise, almost clinical prose that allows the reality of the situation, the social context, to speak for itself. It's a way to resist the vanity of the author and to present events, memories, and feelings with an objective distance, as a sociologist might observe them. This method is crucial for conveying the weight of social conditioning and the often-brutal realities of class and gender.
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