The Hyperbolic Logic of Constraint in the Poetic Works of Jacques Jouet

The writings of Jacques Jouet mark a shift in the nature of the Oulipian constraint by adding a pragmatic or existential restriction to strict textual rules. As such, the constraint defines when, where, and to whom he writes as well as which form it adopts. This raises the question of how it compares with earlier forms of the Oulipian constraint, or of the extent to which the writer controls or is controlled by the constraint. The study proceeds by analyzing the changing constraints in Jouet’s text Du jour, specifically by highlighting the hyperbolic logic that applies in the areas of productivity, pleasure and relevance.