Oulipo


stands for "l'Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle"
or Workshop of Potential Literature.

Founded in 1960 by François Le Lionnais and Raymond Queneau, it consists of writers and mathematicians who invent, reinvent and experiment with different types of formal constraints.

"Rats who build the labyrinth from which they plan to escape"


As the Oulipans describe themselves.

Labyrinth
The word Ourvoir was chosen deliberately. The idea of the sewing circle, with its image of a modest collaboration of skilled individuals. The idea of “potential literature” is important as well. The aim of the Oulipo is not to generate literature but to open up possibilities by introducing new constraints. This is a process that will open up new languages and ideas.
The French experimental writer and Oulipo member Georges Perec was commissioned in the late 1960s to "use a computer's basic mode of operation as a writing device". Writing within a self-imposed set of constraints aimed at mimicking a computer's internal decision-making process, Perec crafted a short work - the Art and Method of Approaching your Boss to Ask for a Raise - that simulated the speed and tireless repetitiveness of a computer program by abandoning all forms of punctuation as well as the distinction between upper- and lower-case letters.

If you have never heard of Oulipo, I hope this brief introduction will be helpful.

The Art and Craft of Approaching your Head of Department to Submit a request for a Raise


Augmentation
Having carefully weighed the pros and cons your gird up and make up your mind to go and see your head of department to ask for a raise, and the adventure begins here.

Recounts of an employee's attempt to ask for a salary increase



Organigramme
  1. Vous avez mûrement réfléchi, vous avez pris votre décision et vous allez voir votre Chef de Service pour lui demander une augmentation.
    Having carefully assigned the pros and cons your gird up and make up your mind to go and see your head of department to ask for a raise.
  2. Ou bien votre Chef de Service est dans son bureau, ou bien votre Chef de Service n'est pas dans son bureau.
    Either your head of department is at his desk or your head of department is not a his desk.
  3. Si votre Chef de Service était dans son bureau, vous frapperiez et vous attendriez sa réponse.
    If your head of department was at his desk, you would knock at his office's door and wait for answer to come in.
  4. Si votre Chef de Service n'était pas dans son bureau, vous guetteriez son retour dans le couloir.
    If obviously your head of department was not at his desk, you would stand in the corridor waiting for him to come back or come in.
  5. Supposons que votre Chef de Service ne soit pas dans son bureau.
    But let us suppose not that he is not at his desk.
  6. En ce cas vous guettez son retour dans le couloir.
    In that case, you would stand in the corridor waiting for him to come back or come in.
For further information, please visit the official Oulipo website.
If you do not speak French, read the presentation of the novel in English.