Polygraphies: Francophone Women Writing Algeria

256 Pages·2012·0.64 MB·English

by  Alison Rice

Polygraphies

Polygraphies
Francophone Women
Writing Algeria
alison rice
university of virginia press
Charlottesville & London
University of Virginia Press
∫ 2012 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
First published 2012
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rice, Alison, 1973–
Polygraphies : Francophone women writing Algeria / Alison Rice.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8139-3291-0 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8139-3292-7
(pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8139-3293-4 (e-book)
1. Algerian literature (French)—Women authors—History and criticism.
2. Women in literature. 3. Postcolonialism in literature. 4. Women authors,
Algerian—Political and social views. 5. Women authors, Arab—Algeria—Political
and social views. 6. Women and literature—Algeria—History—20th century.
7. Feminism and literature—Algeria—History—20th century. 8. Algeria—In
literature. I. Title. II. Title: Francophone women writing Algeria.
PQ3988.5.A5R53 2012
840.9%92870965—dc23
2012002036
For
françoise lionnet,
mentor and muse

contents
Acknowledgments / ix
Introduction.
The Witness Stand: Where the Truth Lies / 1
part i. the autobiographical springboard
1 Le moi à plusieurs reprises:
From Confession to Testimony in the Autobiographical Writings
of Hélène Cixous and Assia Djebar / 27
2 La singularité de l’altérité:
Self-Portraiture and the Other in Maïssa Bey / 46
part ii. takeoff points
3 La terre maternelle:
Algeria and the Mother in the Work of Marie Cardinal,
Hélène Cixous, and Assia Djebar / 61
4‘‘La célébration d’une terre-mère’’:
Albert Camus and Algeria according to Maïssa Bey and
Assia Djebar / 86
part iii. embodiments
5 Écrire les maux:
Hélène Cixous and Writing the Body over Time / 99
6 Sexualités et sensualités:
Corporeal Configurations in the Work of Maïssa Bey, Assia Djebar,
Malika Mokeddem, and Leïla Sebbar / 109
part iv. reverberations
7 Ruptures intimes:
Sentimental Splitting in the Work of Assia Djebar / 129
8 Lourds retours:
Coming Back to Algeria in Malika Mokeddem’s L’Interdite / 140
9 Fille de harki:
Relating to the Father, Country, and Religion in the
Writing of Zahia Rahmani / 151
10 Fabulation et imagination:
Women, Nation, and Identification in Maïssa Bey’s Cette fille-là / 164
Conclusion.
Mass in A Minor: Putting Algeria on the Map / 186
Notes / 197
Bibliography / 215
Index / 227
acknowledgments
With gratitude I wish to acknowledge the many people who provided in-
spiration and encouragement as I wrote this book. As my dedication indi-
cates, I would like to express special appreciation to Françoise Lionnet, my
professor and advisor during my doctoral studies at the University of Cal-
ifornia, Los Angeles. I continue to seek her counsel, and hope to emulate
her openness, generosity, and dedication to the profession.
It has been a great pleasure to interact in person and on paper with the
women whose work is represented in this book, and I am indebted to
Maïssa Bey, Hélène Cixous, Assia Djebar, Malika Mokeddem, Zahia Rah-
mani, and Leïla Sebbar for verbal and written exchanges that have touched
me personally and enabled me to engage more directly with their creative
work.
It would be di≈cult to name all of the scholars and professors who have
had an impact on Polygraphies, but I would like to mention a few whose
influence is of particular pertinence to my work. Emily Apter, Réda Bens-
maïa, Mireille Calle-Gruber, Odile Cazenave, Christiane Chaulet-Achour,
Anne Donadey, Hafid Gafaïti, Mary Jean Green, Alec Hargreaves, Mireille
Rosello, and Dominic Thomas have all provided valuable insights into
Francophone literatures, and they have set examples from which I have had
the good fortune to learn.
Since my arrival at the University of Notre Dame in 2005, I have
benefited from countless conversations with Theodore J. Cachey Jr., Chair
of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. His support
and advice have been invaluable, and I am deeply grateful. The Dean of the
College of Arts and Letters, John McGreevy, has also encouraged me with
his belief in the importance of languages and cultures and his e√orts on be-
half of internationalism and diversity. In addition, I value the administra-
tive wisdom and theoretical perspectives of Joseph Buttigieg, Director of
the Ph.D. in Literature Program; speaking with him is always enlightening
and enjoyable. My wonderful colleagues at Notre Dame have inspired me
in a variety of ways. I am closest to those in the French section, with whom I
have met and discussed many topics, and whose feedback I appreciate:
Maureen Boulton, JoAnn Della Neva, Julia Douthwaite, Louis MacKen-
zie, Catherine Perry, and Alain Toumayan. The competence and expertise
of Linda Rule, Senior Administrative Assistant in Romance Languages and
ix
Literatures, have facilitated many of the technical aspects of this book, and
I wish to thank her wholeheartedly. I would also like to extend a special
thanks to Agustín Fuentes, Director, and Patricia Base, Senior Administra-
tive Assistant of the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts in the Col-
lege of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame. The research and
publication of this book were made possible in part by support from the
Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, and I am especially grateful.
Earlier versions of several chapters appeared in the journal Women’s
Studies International Forum and the collective volumes Diversité littéraire
en Algérie, Marie Cardinal: New Perspectives and Reading and Writing La
Rupture: Essays in French Studies. I am thankful for the opportunity to
include these essays, which have been extensively revised and expanded
since their initial publication, in Polygraphies.
It has been a delight to become acquainted with Cathie Brettschneider,
the Humanities Editor at the University of Virginia Press, as well as Raen-
nah Mitchell, Morgan Myers, and Ellen Satrom. They are models of
warmth and professionalism, and I feel lucky to have the chance to work
with them.
I am also fortunate to have as familial models a long line of strong,
motivated women, and one of them was instrumental in making this book
a reality. My ninety-five-year-old grandmother, Kathryn Taylor, helped
care for my two young daughters, Rosa and Alexa Morel, giving me pre-
cious pockets of time. My mother and father, Gail and Richard Rice, have
been a source of constant support; I could never thank them enough. My
deepest gratitude goes to Olivier Morel, a fantastic father, an incomparable
interlocutor, the love of my life.
x Acknowledgments