French Orientalist Literature in Algeria, 1845-1882

Zusatztext

<span><span>This book applies the growing theoretical field of hauntology to a body of literature which has previously been examined through the lenses of Orientalism and exoticism. Through a chronological study and close readings of the writings of Théophile Gautier, Eugène Fromentin, Gustave Flaubert, and Pierre Loti, the project identifies haunting echoes within the texts which demonstrate an ambivalence of attitudes towards colonialism and which undermine any claim towards a monolithic imperialist French ideology. Whereas hauntological theory has be used to illuminate literature from the Francophone post-colonial period, it has not yet been applied to texts produced during the French colonial period. The originality of this project thus lies in the application of Derridean hauntological theory to works from an earlier period, each of which in one way or another addresses the theme of colonial violence. By revisiting four classic works of colonial Orientalism with haunting as a principal theme, this analysis provides a critical witnessing of Frances violent colonization of Algeria that demonstrates Frances latent anxieties about the colonial project at the time.</span></span>

Autorenportrait

<span><span>Sage Goellner</span><span>is assistant professor of French at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.</span></span>

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