Introduction à la littérature maghrébine de langue française / Introduction to Maghrebian Francophone Literature

This course studies the history of French-language Maghrebian literature through works from the colonial and post-colonial periods by prominent authors and within main currents such as the “Algerian novel.” Beginning in the Fifties, this genre has distinguished itself by its literary qualities and discursive ambitions, a critical affirmation aiming to decipher social phenomena and denounce traditionalist practices. In the Seventies, a new generation of novelists came into its own in the three countries of French-speaking North Africa, searching for renewal of the genre (Rachid Boudjedra, Tahar BenJelloun, Mohammed Khaireddine), while the French language became, in the Eighties, a space where permissiveness could thrive (Tahar Djaout, Rachid Mimouni, Boualem Sansal, Assia Djebar). Lastly, we will examine the latest frontiers of this field, the detective novel (Yasmina Khadra) and migrant literature.

Texts: Driss Chraibi, Le Passé simple (Paris, Gallimard Folio, 1986); Albert Memmi, La Statue de sel (Paris, Gallimard Folio, 1972); Assia Djebar, L’Amour, la fantasia (Paris, Albin Michel, coll: Le Livre de Poche, 2001).

This course can also apply toward the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies.