iSimon, Simonian Studies Collaborative Platform

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The iSimon platform runs from a database containing bibiographic records and the various associated files. It offers a collaborative environment: its development is based on the pooling of resources between users, each being able to update the database and enrich it by downloading its own documents. It provides a consultation and reading interface as well as full-text search and lexical statistics tools. Beyond the Simonian studies, the interface and the functionalities designed for this platform are intended to be extended to any type of literary studies on author.

Pascal Mougin developed the platform (programming in php, mysql and java) and designed its graphic design (html and css) from March 2020 within the UMR THALIM (Paris 3/ CNRS), in partnership with the Association des lecteurs de Claude Simon and the BNF. This project is a continuation of several of his previous works: «Bibliothèque numérique Claude Simon» (1992-1993 and 1996-2000); «Index du vocabulaire des œuvres de Claude Simon» (1993 and 2019); international network Claude Simon (1996-2000).

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The platform’s database currently contains more than 2,100 bibliographic references (primary bibliography, critical bibliography including scholarly criticism and journalistic criticism) and more than 300 full-text books or articles (including the entire Simonian corpus) or facsimile (pdf, jpg), as well as several audiovisual documents (radio or television broadcasts, various recordings).

The contributory nature of the platform allows its regular updating (entry of new publications) and its enrichment (addition of texts and documents) by users (researchers, authors, students, members of the Association of readers of Claude Simon). At the same time, the platform will evolve towards greater interoperability in order to allow the exchange of content and resources with other existing environments: bibliography software, lexicon tools and lexical statistics, text mining (programmes de fouille de données textuelles). Currently hosted on my personal site in its beta version, the platform will soon migrate to the THALIM UMR site.

Guided tour available online

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Team

Design, development, graphic design: Pascal Mougin, professor of literature and contemporary art, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin/ Paris Saclay, Centre d'histoire culturelle des sociétés contemporaines; associate member of UMR 7172 Thalim Paris 3/ ENS/ CNRS

Institutions

• UMR 7172 Thalim Paris 3 / ENS / CNRS
• Centre d’histoire culturelle des sociétés contemporaines
• Association des lecteurs de Claude Simon

Publications

• Pascal Mougin, « iSIMON. Plateforme collaborative des études simoniennes », à paraître dans Cahiers Claude Simon, n° 17, printemps 2022.
• Pascal Mougin et Patrick Rebollar, « Claude Simon, informatiquement », dans Claude Simon 2 : féminin / masculin, Ralph Sarkonak (dir.), Paris, Minard, coll. « Revue des lettres modernes », 1996, p. 183-204.