In this thesis, we intend to reread the philosophical texts of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, emphasizing the importance of the issue of ‘‘expression’’ in his philosophy. The main aim of this research is therefore to characterize his thought – particularly during the 1940s and 1950s – as ‘‘philosophy of expression’’. In other words, we attempt to show that his philosophical reflection during the 1940s and 50s – developed particularly in the Phenomenology of perception and The prose of the world – is deeply (but often implicitly) marked by the notion of ‘‘expression’’.Our research has two main contributions : firstly, we define the notion of expression as an act of ‘‘auto-realization’’. In Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy, ‘‘expression’’ does not mean the ‘‘translation of a clearly defined thought’’, but it refers to a very specific act through which the thought realizes itself for the first time.Secondly, we comprehensively investigate The prose of the world, an unfinished work published posthumously and in which the issue of ‘‘expression’’ appears more clearly than in any other texts. This text epitomises a fertile period in the work of Merleau-Ponty, between his ‘‘existential’’ and ‘‘ontological’’ periods. However, probably due to its unfinished and disorganized character, The prose of the world has to date received little critical attention. Our study is therefore the first attempt to cover the various issues raised by this work in its totality.
