Breadfruit or Chestnut?

Gender Construction in the French Caribbean Novel

Breadfruit or Chestnut? cover

Breadfruit or Chestnut?

Gender Construction in the French Caribbean Novel

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Description

Breadfruit or Chestnut? examines gender construction comparatively across the fiction of contemporary writers of Guadeloupe and Martinique. In particular, it explores the construction of gender identity by six authors-three male and three female-who have never been brought together in a study of this issue. Rather than following the trend of studying theory and cultural identity in the central male writers and of studying "women's writing" in the works of the female writers, Thomas expertly blurs these traditional boundaries in order to present an unexplored aspect of identity. In addition to illuminating women's conception of gender, this work examines the male equivalent and how each gender observes and perceives the other. Breadfruit or Chestnut? not only contextualizes the primary literature, but also draws on contemporary theoretical debates surrounding feminism, subjectivity, and postcolonialism. The combination of literary and historical tools of analysis allows for a deeper probing into gender relations in the French Caribbean.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Gender Identity and the French Caribbean
Chapter 2 Literary Background and Gender Bias
Chapter 3 "Man is a Breadfruit and Woman is a Chestnut"
Chapter 4 History, Lack and Gender
Chapter 5 Two Faces of the femme matador
Chapter 6 Gender in the créoliste Satirical Novel
Chapter 7 Moving Away From Stereotypes
Chapter 8 Conclusion: An Analysis of French Caribbean Gender Identity
Chapter 9 Appendix A: Interview with Patrick Chamoiseau (extracts)
Chapter 10 Appendix B: Interview with Maryse Condé (extracts)
Chapter 11 Appendix C: Interview with Raphaël Confiant (extracts)
Chapter 12 Bibliography

Product details

Published Oct 03 2007
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 212
ISBN 9780739115848
Imprint Lexington Books
Dimensions 230 x 154 mm
Series After the Empire: The Francophone World and Postcolonial France
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

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