Postcolonial Literatures in French Dr Georgina Collins 1

Postcolonial Literatures in French Dr Georgina Collins 1 February 2012

Overview • More on Patrick Chamoiseau – his social, political, literary beliefs • Relevance of certain trends in the French Antilles – regionalism. Globalisation • Rewriting history – unofficial accounts of Martinique’s past • Chamoiseau – representing inbetweenness in his texts

Trends in the French Antilles • Chamoiseau – Caribbean and French thinker • Thought must be understood against: the following background: • Cultural • Historical • Linguistic • Political • Regionalism and globalisation – antagonistic forces • Independence and départementalisation

Regionalism • political or cultural attitude questionning legitimacy of national framework • Possible to argue that Chamoiseau adopts a regionalist posture • Against assimilation • France shouldn’t be the ultimate reference • Support for a recourse to Creole

Globalisation • A good and bad phenomenon (Chamoiseau and Glissant) • Good: • it undermines the idea that ‘national’ roots are exclusive/unique • It offers possibility of redifining identities rhizomatically • Nationalism and capitalism – 2 major threats

Texaco • Prix Goncourt – 1992 • Themes also present in Chronique… • Longer and more ambitious novel • Recounts the story of the island since slavery • Result of the author’s ethnographic study

An unofficial account of Caribbean history • Between the past and present • Between traumatic legacy left by slavery • Negative consequences of départementalisation • Inventive and postmodern • Polyphonic representation of Caribbean history

Ethnographic research • Ethnographic research – revealed in narrative itself • Paragraphs interspersed by passages from a diary • Ethnographer intervenes directly as narrator

Defying power • exploring history from a different angle • parallel between yesterday and today • Martinicans have not escaped their chains • development of survival strategies • NB. débrouillardise

Periods of Martinican history 1. 2. 3. 4. Temps de paille (1823? -1902) Temps de bois-caisse (1903 -1945) Temps de fibrociment (1946 -1960) Temps béton (1961 -1980)

Magic realism • Texaco: creole inbetweenness • Djobers’ market place – lieu de creolité • 2 strategies to explore creolité • Creole words and phrases • Magical realism often associated with postcolonial literatures

Cultural difference and complexity • Effects of poetic strategy: • Allows ‘marqueur de paroles’ to mark cultural difference • Offers possibility of re-asserting the complexity of the other • NB shape of Caribbean island group – geographical metaphor

Sum up the key points… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. -

This week’s seminar tasks 1. Presentations to the class: think of questions to ask! 2. Discussion of this week’s seminar questions 3. Analysing the reviews

Don’t forget to prepare for next week! The seminar questions are on your handout