Temps, genre littéraire et identité culturelle dans les représentations de la Chine au xxe siècle : Une étude comparée de Lucien Bodard et Han Suyin

This article examines the constitution of the first volume of the Portefeuilles Vallant in order to show how the logic of comparison shaped its development. By bringing together both contemporary documents and older pieces, Vallant appears to have devised an archival framework that encourages both synchronic and diachronic readings. The deliberate diversity of the materials, sometimes selected in a heterogeneous manner, broadens the field of inquiry while raising questions about the centrality of comparison in the original project. The analysis of successive inventories and the continuation of the archival work by the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés suggest the existence of a collective enterprise. However, the organization of the collection remains fragmentary: the seemingly fortuitous juxtaposition of certain documents makes it difficult to assert with certainty that comparison constituted Vallant’s guiding principle. Moreover, the absence of explicit evidence from Vallant himself prevents a full reconstruction of his initial intent. The article thus brings to light the tensions between documentary diversity and conceptual coherence, while underscoring the heuristic value of this collection for the history of archival practices and comparative methods in the seventeenth century.