Marécages, une pollution par essence? Conditions d'une écopoétique des marais et autres zones humides au XXe siècle

Abstract To expose the pollution of marshes and swamps, whether by hydrocarbons or other contaminants, the French or Francophone author of the twentieth century must first confront a literary tradition that equates stagnant water with a volatile poison and, more broadly, wetlands with toxic environments. In his article “Wetland Gloom and Wetland Glory,” philosopher John Bird Callicott emphasizes the necessity of grounding a wetland aesthetic in scientific knowledge to ensure its contribution to their protection. The analysis of the literary representation of polluted marshes and swamps in major works of twentieth‐century French and Francophone literature confirms and extends this argument. Without entirely renouncing the imaginary of stagnant waters derived from literary tradition, such representation must rely on the natural sciences—particularly on the knowledge of so‐called “hygrophilous” aquatic plants—to denounce the degradation of palustrine ecosystems. Moreover, the human sciences also contribute to exposing wetland pollution, by addressing the deterioration of living conditions both within these environments and in their surroundings.