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The origins of autobiography and feminism

Telling the story of another person’s life is a tradition dating back to the ancient world. World literature begins with the mythical accounts of men such as Gilgamesh and Homer, men who may have really existed, but whose exploits have been exaggerated and fictionalized to the point of separating them from the rest of humanity. The tradition of creating the heroic myth continued into the middle ages, the era which gave us the most celebrated of the chansons de gestes, La chanson de Roland. This epic poem describes the heroic exploits of Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, with an abundance of fictionalized embellishment.
As literature continued to evolve, authors began depicting their heroes and heroines in more realistic ways. La Princesse de Clèves was published in 1678 by an anonymous author who was later revealed to be Madame de Lafayette. Women were largely excluded from intellectual pursuits at that time in history, and in a foreword to the book de Lafayette expressed concern that the story would not be taken seriously if her true identity were known. She referred to herself simply as “l’auteur”, and hid behind the masculine pronoun “il” (de Lafayette 1996, 67). Although this work is considered to be France’s first historical novel, de Lafayette referred to the work as an “histoire”, rather a “roman”. Aside from the protagonist, most of the characters are real historical figures from the French court of Henri II, circa 1568. The work is fiction, but the plot is realistic, and gives the reader a look inside the lives (and minds) of members of the French royal court. The story is highly psychological and introspective, a complete departure from earlier works. Although the narration is in the third person, the total omniscience of the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings, as well as the frankness of the dialogue and correspondence throughout the text make this story an important transitional work in French literature, and a step closer to the introspective first-person autobiography.
It was Jean-Jacques Rousseau who pioneered this new genre with the publication of Les confessions in 1770. The title is a nod to Saint Augustine, who completed his own autobiography Confessions in 398 C.E. Augustine’s work is considered the first autobiography of the Western world, and it focuses specifically on his conversion to Christianity and subsequent religious experiences and insights. Despite the familiar title, Rousseau’s Confessions was the prototype for a completely new genre of literature. This was the first work in which an author sought to provide an account of the life events which shaped his personality. In the introduction to the first part of Les confessions, Rousseau describes the work as “le seul monument sûr de mon caractère, qui n’ait pas été défiguré par mes ennemies” (Rousseau 1770, 3). He promises to be as accurate as possible in the portrayal of his life, and he is not always kind to himself in doing so. Although analysts have discovered numerous factual inaccuracies within the work, it was to Rousseau, life as he remembered it, and therefore true.

Been caught stealing

Few things can be more economically disruptive to an indigenous society than the installation of a colonial regime. Colonialism robs indigenous people of the natural resources, i.e. the wealth of their native land, and delegitimizes existing economic systems. Those who strike out as settlers in a colonial territory often do so with the intention of finding their fortune in a new country where the best resources haven’t been picked over. Colonial regimes dismiss traditional economies as primitive and destroy bartering systems already in place, imposing their own currencies instead. The indigenous population is forced to adjust to a currency minted in another land, bearing the faces of leaders with whom they have no cultural connection. Every transaction in the new currency serves as a reminder that the land has been colonized and all wealth exists at the whim of the colonizer.
The traditional economic system, which may have provided a spare, but adequate standard of living for most people seems backward next to the sophistication and conspicuous consumption of the colonists. Even those who long for the colonizers’ departure may buy into the notion that the old way of life was somehow inferior.
Parents naturally want their children to be as happy and well off as the newcomers, which creates a certain vulnerability to economic suggestion. The children receive contradictory messages about the importance of getting an education and returning to a traditional way of life. The official political status of a country can be misleading. Due to the terms of the Pacte Colonial, many independent African nations continue to pay colonial taxes to France over fifty years after gaining independence (4). Opt-out attempts, such as the one which occurred with Togo in 1963 have, in every instance, resulted in a coup, and the installation of a new, pro-France regime. Algeria’s bloody war for independence illustrates the high cost of economic freedom. Despite winning their own war for independence, the people of Haiti were required to pay France the modern equivalent of twenty-two billion US dollars to compensate for financial losses to French slave traders caused by the abolition of slavery. These payments began in 1804 and continued until 1947 (Koutouin 2014). Statistics like this make one question what it really means to be an independent nation. You can’t spell postcolonial without colonial.

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Chapter 1: Alienation and the personal narrative
1.1 Our ancestors … the Gauls? or What would Vercingetorix do?
1.2 The origins of autobiography and feminism
1.3 Alienation in the francophone world
1.4 The authors
1.4.1 Maryse Condé, Guadeloupe
1.4.2 Gabrielle Roy, Manitoba, Canada
1.4.3 Assia Djebar and Marie Cardinal, Algeria
1.4.4 Marguerite Duras and Kim Lefèvre, Vietnam
1.4.5 Mariama Bâ and Ken Bugul, Senegal
1.4.6 Calixthe Beyala, Cameroon
1.5 Research methodology
1.6 Anticipated impact of study
Chapter 2: Alienation in the domain of blood
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Une femme n’a qu’un seul trésor
2.3 Une femme indisposée
2.4 Bloodshed
2.5 Bloodlines
2.6 Tainted blood
2.7 Blood as carrier of genetic memory
2.8 Conclusions
Chapter 3: Alienation in the domain of money
3.1 Introduction
3.2 She works hard for the money
3.3 Can’t buy me love
3.4 Been caught stealing
3.5 Une sale mentalité de pauvre
3.6 Conclusions
Chapter 4: Alienation in the domain of land
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Homesick
4.3 Do you have a flag?
4.4 Terre / mère
4.5 Conclusions
Chapter 5: Alienation in the domain of religion
5.1 Introduction: The beginning of wisdom
5.2 Opting out
5.3 Conversion or coercion?
5.4 Conclusions
Chapter 6: Alienation in the domain of education
6.1 Introduction: The roots of education
6.2 Unequal opportunity
6.3 Curriculum
6.4 Le premier métier
6.5 Conclusions
Chapter 7: Alienation in the domain of history
7.1 Introduction: What is truth?
7.2 Where do we come from?
7.3 Your history, my history, our history
7.4 Conclusions: Where do we go from here?
Chapter 8: Conclusions