Remembering the Island: Insularity and Memory in the Contemporary Mauritian Novel in French Ailbhe O’Flaherty BA, MA Supervisors: Dr Michael G Kelly Dr Patricia O’Flaherty Thesis submitted to the University of Limerick to fulfil the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Submitted to the University of Limerick November 2016 i ii ABSTRACT Ailbhe O’Flaherty Remembering the Island: Insularity and Memory in the Contemporary Mauritian Novel in French Since 1979 there has been a marked increase in literary production from Mauritius, primarily in French, and Mauritian authors have been gaining in popularity amongst a French-speaking readership. Yet, within the context of postcolonial literatures or francophone studies, little attention has been paid to fiction from the islands of the Indian Ocean until very recently. This thesis therefore presents a valuable study of novelists writing in the French language from the culturally and linguistically diverse island of Mauritius. It considers the impact representations of insularity and memory have had on contemporary Mauritian writing in French and the role of recent fiction in creating a sense of heterogeneous Mauritian island identity in literature. The chosen corpus is deliberately broad, comprising work by eight authors (Appanah, Berthelot, De Souza, Devi, Humbert, Le Clézio, Patel, Pyamootoo) thereby allowing for a comprehensive and holistic overview of contemporary fiction from Mauritius. Interviews were conducted with four of the novelists. The contemporary authors studied draw on the island, and memory of the island, as narrative strategies and themes and draw together the different strands of Mauritian society in order to facilitate the reconstruction and validation of a multifarious Mauritian identity in literature. Experimenting with portrayals of islandness in eschewing clichés or subverting island metaphors, they employ figurative and literal representations of the island that challenge the reader’s perception of Mauritius. Furthermore, how Mauritian novelists negotiate personal and collective memory in their writing is instrumental in the process of accepting but breaking with the past and taking on board a heterogeneous creolised Mauritian island identity. The thesis ultimately demonstrates that rather than endorsing any notion of pure cultures of origin, today’s generation of Mauritian writers acknowledge the creolisation that is integral to contemporary Mauritian island identity and this is reflected in the richness and complexity of their writing. iii iv DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is entirely my own work and has not previously been submitted for any other academic award at this or any other institution. The following articles/papers have been published from the research presented in this thesis: O’Flaherty, A. (2010) “Every Woman is an Island? The Island as an Embodiment of Female Alterity in Mauritian Women's Writing” in Bragard, V. & Ravi, S. (eds.) Ecritures Mauriciennes au féminin: penser l’altérité. Paris: L’Harmattan. O’Flaherty, A. (2007). “Islandness and “Otherness”: Representations of the Island in the Contemporary Mauritian Novel” in the Journal of Mauritian Studies, New Series, Vol. 4, No. 1. Signed __________________________ Ailbhe O’Flaherty November 2016 v vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Undertaking doctoral research can very often feel like a solitary endeavour, but it cannot be done by the student alone and I have many people to thank for their support during this lengthy process. Dr. Patricia O’Flaherty, for essentially guiding the project from start to finish. Quite simply I could not have done it without your expertise, hard work and dedication. You are a true professional and friend. Professor Serge Rivière, who guided the work in its early days and provided helpful resources and contacts. Dr Michael Kelly, for playing a vital role in helping me complete the thesis and guiding it through the final stages. Shenaz Patel, Carl de Souza, Ananda Devi for their generosity in granting me the time to interview them about their work. Our conversations provided me with invaluable insights into the writing process, the complexity of authorship, narrative voice and postcolonial island identity, and the many other fascinating aspects of their fiction and their island. The late Lilian Berthelot for a warm welcome to her home in Rose Hill and a memorable afternoon discussing life and literature. The Mahatma Gandhi Institute for hosting my research trip in Mauritius and the University of Limerick for the funding that made it possible to undertake research in that fascinating country. The School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics and the Graduate School at the University of Limerick for the logistical support necessary to undertake and submit the thesis. The IRCHSS, now the Irish Research Council, for the generous funding which allowed me to concentrate on research and writing for one year. Dr Máiréad Moriarty and Dr Ide O’Sullivan, formidable women, accomplished academics and the embodiment of a “can-do” attitude. I cannot thank you enough for your friendship, encouragement and advice. That you could offer so much help and support even during your busiest of times means the world to me and speaks volumes about your generosity. My Mum and Dad, who always encouraged us to study hard and provided every opportunity and support to help us realise our educational and career goals. I know this is a proud achievement for you also. Consider it my thanks for your many years of generosity, help and reassurance. To my siblings for their moral support…and their jokes about the eternal student in the family! To Jérôme. This thesis journey is as long as our own. Thank you for believing that it was always possible… and for nudging me over the line. vii viii DEDICATION For Sadhbh and Niamh – may you continue to love stories and be forever curious about the world. ix x TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. iii DECLARATION ........................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... vii DEDICATION .............................................................................................................. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. xi INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE - LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................. 11 1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................ 12 1.2 Contemporary Mauritian Literature in the context of world literatures in French ...................................................................................................................... 13 1.2.1 The emergence of contemporary Mauritian literature ................................ 13 1.2.2 Mauritian writing and francophone literatures ........................................... 18 1.2.3 Mauritian literature and postcolonial theory ............................................... 21 1.3 The evolution of scholarship on Mauritian literature ........................................ 30 1.4 The island ........................................................................................................... 39 1.4.1 The island in literature ................................................................................ 39 1.4.2 The island in Mauritian fiction ................................................................... 42 1.4.3 Mauritius and the islands: Indian Ocean cultural memory ......................... 45 1.5 Memory .............................................................................................................. 48 1.5.1 Memory in literature ................................................................................... 48 1.5.2 Memory in Mauritian fiction ...................................................................... 50 1.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 54 CHAPTER TWO - INSULARITY, TOPOGRAPHY AND LOCATION IN MAURITIAN ISLAND NARRATIVES ..................................................................... 56 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 57 2.2 Topography and location ................................................................................... 58 2.3 Writing place: the island’s influence on island writers ...................................... 61 2.4 Boundaries and insularity in Mauritian fiction .................................................. 69 2.5 Islands within islands ......................................................................................... 78 2.5.1 Inequalities and divisions in the island-prison ............................................ 79 2.5.2 Marginalised island communities in Mauritian society .............................. 86 2.6 The city: Insularity in the enclosed urban space ................................................ 91 2.7 Centre and periphery ........................................................................................ 104 2.7.1 Mauritius on the periphery of the