FRE 438H1F

Advanced Topics in Francophone Literatures : La métafiction en Afrique et dans les Caraïbes :

Instructor :

 

Description :

Since the 1980s there is a massive tendency among African and Caribbean novelists to reflect on the art of writing within works of fiction. These metafictional practices include characters who are writers or readers, poeticized literary critiques, theories on the relationship between text and reality, as well as questions on why and how to write. This course will explore metafictional forms and related practices (self-reflexivity and metatextuality), while also examining how authors such as Patrick Chamoiseau, Marie-Célie Agnant and Véronique Tadjo exploit these techniques to reflect on the role of literature in the face of complex societal issues and dynamics. In a body of works treating questions of racism, exile, slavery and genocide, what strengths

Required texts :

Patrick Chamoiseau, Solibo Magnifique, Paris, Gallimard, 1988 ; Marie-Célie Agnant, Le livre d’Emma, Montréal, Les Editions du remue-ménage, 2001 ; Fatou Diome, Le Ventre de L’Atlantique, Paris, Éditions Anne Carrière, 2003 ; Véronique Tadjo, L’ombre d’Imana. Voyages jusqu’au bout du Rwanda, Paris, Actes Sud, 2000.

Required Films :

Jean-Claude Flamand-Barny, Le Gang des Antillais (2016); Abdellatif Kechiche, L’Esquive (2004).

Assignments and Evaluation :

Quiz 1 (10%), Short essay (20%), Presentation (10%), Report of presentation (10%), Quiz 2 (10%), Final essay (30%), overall assessment (10%).

Prerequisite :

FRE240H1/FRE245H1, FRE241H1/FRE246H1, FRE 345H1.