Writing (as) Africans — French Fiction Between Empathy and Orientalism

Abstract

This article examines the impact colonial ideology and discursive practices have on French writing about Africa. I begin by examining the constitution and reiteration of a series of defining scenes such as the momentous departure for the African colonies and the exploration of the African continent by European fiction heroes. I then turn to the style and discourse of several texts by two French-language writers to study the ironic yet fascinated depiction of the colonial enterprise and its consequences. To illustrate this point, I first analyse the work of the 2008 Nobel Prize winner, J. M. G. Le Clézio, whose novels, inspired by his own childhood and family history, reveal a constant tension between attempts at identification and empathy with the Africans and orientalist tropes. The second writer is Laurent Gaudé who provides an intriguing example of the contemporary tension between postcolonial criticism and neo-orientalist stereotypes.

Keywords:

• French-language literature
• Francophone Africa
• orientalism
• J. M. G. Le Clézio
• colonial ideology
• empathy