A Nouveau Roman de la route: Marc Séguin’s La foi du braconnier and the Challenge of Rewriting

Abstract

Québécois novelist Marc Séguin’s La foi du braconnier (2009) is a road novel, an iconic American genre centred on the youthful quest for purpose and permissible rebellion against societal norms, reminiscent of Franco-American Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Far from being just another imitator of this genre-defining novel, Séguin’s tale of a Québécois-Mohawk poacher who decides to drive a route that spells out FUCK YOU on the North American continent also draws on elements of the Nouveau Roman to posit a fraught relationship between the acts of writing and driving that are central to the road genre. The novel’s fragmented narration in particular suggests that the self-expression and personal freedom sought on the road are illusory goals.