Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2016 Colonial, Anticolonial, and Postcolonial Myth and Memory in the French-Algerian Narratives of Albert Camus, Frantz Fanon, and Assia Djebar 1942-1999 Gina Marie Breen Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the French and Francophone Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Breen, Gina Marie, "Colonial, Anticolonial, and Postcolonial Myth and Memory in the French-Algerian Narratives of Albert Camus, Frantz Fanon, and Assia Djebar 1942-1999" (2016). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2310. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2310 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. COLONIAL, ANTICOLONIAL, AND POSTCOLONIAL MYTH AND MEMORY IN THE FRENCH-ALGERIAN NARRATIVES OF ALBERT CAMUS, FRANTZ FANON, AND ASSIA DJEBAR 1942-1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Louisiana State University and Agriculture and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of French Studies by Gina Marie Breen B.A., Southern Illinois University, 2006, 2007 M.A., Southern Illinois University, 2010 August 2016 © Copyright 2016 Gina Marie Breen All rights reserved ii For Tom and Margaret iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people have played a significant role in the completion of this dissertation. I would especially like to thank my chair, Dr. Adelaide Russo, for her belief in my project and in me as a scholar. Completing this dissertation would not have been possible if it were not for her help, inspiration, and motivation. I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation for my committee members Dr. Cecil Eubanks, Dr. Pius Ngandu, and Dr. Pallavi Rastogi for their guidance and encouragement, but most of all for challenging me in class and helping me grow as a writer. I would like to acknowledge the Department of French Studies at LSU as it has provided me with many unique opportunities that have enriched my graduate studies. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Rosemary Peters for introducing me to Baton Rouge. I would like to extend my thanks to all the faculty and staff that I have been fortunate to work with, but especially to Dr. Stephanie Gaillard, Todd Jacob, Cathy Luquette, Rachel Rodriguez-Morales, and Dr. Gregory Stone. I would also like to thank my family in Ireland. I would like to thank my parents Tom and Margaret Breen for their emotional and financial support, but most of all for their unfaltering faith in everything and me I do. They constantly inspire me to strive for the best. A special thanks also to the Breen family, the McIlhone family, and the Watson family for their love and generosity. Last, but not least, I would like to thank all my friends, especially those who I consider to be my American family. I would like to recognize everyone who has opened their home to me in Illinois and Louisiana throughout the years. It has been an honor to visit and celebrate Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Game Day iv with you all. My sincerest thanks for joining me on this journey. I appreciate your friendships very much. You have helped me more than you may know. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 Corpus and Chapter Overview ........................................................................................ 4 CHAPTER ONE: THE COLONIAL ORIGINS OF ALBERT CAMUS ......................... 12 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 12 2. L’Etranger ................................................................................................................. 16 2.1. Historical Background ........................................................................................ 16 2.2. Qu’est-ce qu’un pied-noir? ................................................................................ 17 2.3. The Myth of the pied-noir via the Memory of “l’étranger” ............................... 23 3. L’Exil et le Royaume ................................................................................................. 48 3.1. Historical Background ........................................................................................ 48 3.2. “La Femme Adultère” ........................................................................................ 49 3.3. “Les Muets” ........................................................................................................ 61 3.4. “L’Hôte” ............................................................................................................. 65 4. Chroniques Algériennes ............................................................................................ 74 4.1. Historical Background ........................................................................................ 74 4.2. Reading Myth Through Journalism .................................................................... 76 4.3. The Myth of the pied-noir via The Myth of the Kabyle .................................... 77 4.4. “Misère de la Kabylie” ....................................................................................... 81 4.5. “Crise en Algérie” .............................................................................................. 87 4.6. “L’Algérie Déchirée” ......................................................................................... 91 5. Le Premier Homme: Myth and autobiography .......................................................... 94 6. Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................. 100 CHAPTER TWO: THE ANTICOLONIAL SENTIMENTS OF FRANTZ FANON .... 103 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 103 1.1. Fanon and his legacy ........................................................................................ 106 2. L’an V de la révolution algérienne ......................................................................... 111 2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 111 2.2. Chapter 1 “L’Algérie se dévoile” ..................................................................... 113 2.3. Chapter 2 “Ici la voix de l’Algérie” ................................................................. 120 2.4. Chapter 3 “La famille algérienne” ................................................................... 125 2.5. Chapter 4 “Médecine et Colonialisme” ............................................................ 130 2.6. Chapter 5 “La Minorité Européenne d’Algérie” .............................................. 133 3. Pour la Révolution Africaine ................................................................................... 136 4. Les Damnés de la terre ............................................................................................ 142 4.1 Historical Background ....................................................................................... 142 4.2. Fanon’s myth of the native and the nation via revolutionary violence ............ 142 5. Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................. 156 CHAPTER THREE: THE POSTCOLONIAL MOURNING OF ASSIA DJEBAR ...... 158 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 158 vi 2. Le Blanc de l’Algérie ............................................................................................... 161 2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 161 2.2. Narrating Postcolonial Myth and Memory ....................................................... 162 2.3. La langue des morts .......................................................................................... 165 2.4. Trois journées ................................................................................................... 173 2.5. La mort inachevée ............................................................................................ 174 2.6. Ecrire le Blanc de l’Algérie .............................................................................. 189 3. Ces voix qui m’assiègent…en marge de ma francophonie ..................................... 192 3.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 192 3.2. “Etre une voix Francophone” ........................................................................... 195 3.3. “Ecrire dans la langue de l’autre” .................................................................... 198 3.4. “Camus,