E-Book Overview
This book looks at the constructs of gender, genre, and colonialism as they intersect in the works of Senegalese writers Mariama Bâ and Aminata Sow Fall and French writer Marguerite Duras. Though these authors form an unlikely trio at first glance, we hear surprising echoes in their texts as they reveal the construction and narration of a feminine "I" over and against a variety of colonizing forces. The authors’ experimentation with autobiographical writing, experiences with colonialism, and exploration of the metaphor of infanticide create a rich, multicultural dialogue about the politics of women’s writing.
E-Book Content
(Re)productions: Autobiography, Colonialism, and Infanticide
Mary-Kay F. Miller
PETER LANG
(Re)productions
Francophone Cultures and Literatures
Michael G. Paulson & Tamara Alvarez-Detrell General Editors Vol. 41
PETER LANG
New York ! Washington, D.C./Baltimore ! Bern Frankfurt am Main ! Berlin ! Brussels ! Vienna ! Oxford
Mary-Kay F. Miller
(Re)productions Autobiography, Colonialism, and Infanticide
PETER LANG
New York ! Washington, D.C./Baltimore ! Bern Frankfurt am Main ! Berlin ! Brussels ! Vienna ! Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Mary-Kay F. (Mary-Kay Fleming) (Re)productions : autobiography, colonialism, and infanticide / Mary-Kay F. Miller. p. cm. — (Francophone cultures and literatures; v. 41) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. French literature—Women authors—History and criticism. 2. French literature—20th century—History and criticism. 3. African literature (French) —History and criticism. 4. Autobiography in literature. 5. Colonies in literature. 6. Infanticide in literature. I. Title: Reproductions. II. Title. III. Series. PQ149 .M538 840.9’9287’0904—dc21 2002152526 ISBN 0-8204-6362-0 ISSN 1077-0186
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek. Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de/.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council of Library Resources.
© 2003 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York All rights reserved. Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm, xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited. Printed in Germany
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Rick, Patrick, Margaret, & Sarah
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Contents
Acknowledgments y ix Introduction y 1 ONE
t (RE)PRODUCTIONS y 5
TWO THREE FOUR
t COLONIALISM y 23
t AUTOBIOGRAPHIES y 47
t WRITING INFANTICIDE: FIGURES OF MATERNAL VIOLENCE y 91 Conclusion y 127 Notes y 129 Works Cited y 145 Index y 151
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Acknowledgments My most sincere thanks go to Chris Miller, who, many years ago, guided this project through its first incarnation as my Ph.D. dissertation. His knowledge, patience, and dedication are boundless, and I remain grateful. Colleagues at Vanderbilt University and the University of New Hampshire helped in ways too numerous to mention. I feel truly fortunate to have benefited from the encouragement and advice of so many talented people. A faculty grant from Vanderbilt funded additional research in Paris, which greatly contributed to this project. Family members, both immediate and extended, have provided invaluable support all along the way. Thought-provoking conversations with friends have enriched this work from its inception to its current form. Thanks also go to Sally Merrick, who painstakingly proofread these pages for me.