Aspects Allocentristes de l’Humanisme dans l’Univers Romanesque de Williams Sassine
- Authors: Dami, Emmanuel Naancin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Sassine, Williams, 1944-1997 -- Criticism and interpretation , Guinean fiction (French) -- 20th century -- History and criticism , Humanism in literature , Human beings in literature , Postcolonialism in literature , Existentialism in literature
- Language: French , English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61957 , vital:28089
- Description: The human being, his behaviour and more importantly, his very essence have, for time immemorial, proven to be enigmatic to many a man and to researchers in particular. Consequently, the need for a thorough and more profound understanding of man has made him the epicentre of epistemic investigations across many academic disciplines. This, unfortunately, does not seem to have shaded bright lights on the grey areas bordering on his nature to his behavior. This, in turn, opens up other windows requiring further probes. For instance, proponents of the Neo-classical economic school contend that the human being is homo oeconomicus. This implies that man is intrinsically egocentric and a rational being whose decisions are based on informed choices driven by his urge for maximal utility geared towards his personal satisfaction (O’Boyle 2009; Caruso 2012). This stance invalidates man’s ability to do ‘disinterested good’ in any form. African francophone literature is replete with different and diverse images of man, his behaviour and existential conditions: sufferings and struggles. It, therefore, constitutes, inter alia, a laboratory in which researchers undertake investigative endeavours. This thesis beams its floodlights on the allocentric aspects of humanism in the novels of Williams Sassine. Thus, using the phenomenological and ‘clavieniste’ lenses as overarching operational theories, the thesis investigates Sassine’s novels with the view to shading a ray of light on the ‘humanistic man’ especially the allocentric dimensions of his nature and comportment. Emphasis is laid on the motives and motivations underlying the individual and the in-group struggle of the sassinien heroes in the emancipation of their society from the shackles of colonial and postcolonial domination, exploitation and subjugation resulting in self-determination and the subsequent disenchantment. Furthermore, the thesis examines the nature and character of human charity, generosity and sacrifices among the characters in the novels. In conclusion, the thesis establishes, through an x-ray of the nature of actions and decisions of certain characters in the novels, the examination of the conscious and subconscious intentions underlying these same actions and decisions which, on a face value, are apparently altruistic, that the sassinien heroes’ efforts and sacrifices are geared towards the common and greater good. This invariably means that man is, indeed, capable of posing disinterested acts of charity and bringing succour, devoid of any ulterior motives for personal gain, to his fellow humans. The position of the Neo-classical economists is consequently over-assuming, sweeping and tad generalizing. The sassinien characters have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that they are humanists. Their nature, the remote and immediate causes of their fights, the goals and objectives of their struggles and their spirit of abnegation have indeed proven that “human beings have the right and the responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. [They have stood] for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on the human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities” (AHA 2017 : 3).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Dami, Emmanuel Naancin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Sassine, Williams, 1944-1997 -- Criticism and interpretation , Guinean fiction (French) -- 20th century -- History and criticism , Humanism in literature , Human beings in literature , Postcolonialism in literature , Existentialism in literature
- Language: French , English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61957 , vital:28089
- Description: The human being, his behaviour and more importantly, his very essence have, for time immemorial, proven to be enigmatic to many a man and to researchers in particular. Consequently, the need for a thorough and more profound understanding of man has made him the epicentre of epistemic investigations across many academic disciplines. This, unfortunately, does not seem to have shaded bright lights on the grey areas bordering on his nature to his behavior. This, in turn, opens up other windows requiring further probes. For instance, proponents of the Neo-classical economic school contend that the human being is homo oeconomicus. This implies that man is intrinsically egocentric and a rational being whose decisions are based on informed choices driven by his urge for maximal utility geared towards his personal satisfaction (O’Boyle 2009; Caruso 2012). This stance invalidates man’s ability to do ‘disinterested good’ in any form. African francophone literature is replete with different and diverse images of man, his behaviour and existential conditions: sufferings and struggles. It, therefore, constitutes, inter alia, a laboratory in which researchers undertake investigative endeavours. This thesis beams its floodlights on the allocentric aspects of humanism in the novels of Williams Sassine. Thus, using the phenomenological and ‘clavieniste’ lenses as overarching operational theories, the thesis investigates Sassine’s novels with the view to shading a ray of light on the ‘humanistic man’ especially the allocentric dimensions of his nature and comportment. Emphasis is laid on the motives and motivations underlying the individual and the in-group struggle of the sassinien heroes in the emancipation of their society from the shackles of colonial and postcolonial domination, exploitation and subjugation resulting in self-determination and the subsequent disenchantment. Furthermore, the thesis examines the nature and character of human charity, generosity and sacrifices among the characters in the novels. In conclusion, the thesis establishes, through an x-ray of the nature of actions and decisions of certain characters in the novels, the examination of the conscious and subconscious intentions underlying these same actions and decisions which, on a face value, are apparently altruistic, that the sassinien heroes’ efforts and sacrifices are geared towards the common and greater good. This invariably means that man is, indeed, capable of posing disinterested acts of charity and bringing succour, devoid of any ulterior motives for personal gain, to his fellow humans. The position of the Neo-classical economists is consequently over-assuming, sweeping and tad generalizing. The sassinien characters have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that they are humanists. Their nature, the remote and immediate causes of their fights, the goals and objectives of their struggles and their spirit of abnegation have indeed proven that “human beings have the right and the responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. [They have stood] for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on the human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities” (AHA 2017 : 3).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
L’etude comparative des elements merveilleux dans trois epopees africaines: Soundjata ou I’epopee mandingue, Emperor Shaka The Great: a Zulu Epic et Nsongo’a Lianja: I’epopee nationale des Nkundo
- Authors: Nkaongami, Josue Bosange
- Date: 2017
- Language: French , English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5590 , vital:20944
- Description: This thesis is a comparative study in Francophone literature which analyses the supernatural factors in three African epics, namely the Sundiata or Mandingo Epic from West Africa by Djibril Tasmir Niane (1960), Emperor Shaka The Great : A Zulu Epic from Southern Africa by Mazisi Kunene (1979), and Nsongo’a Lianja : the National Epic of Nkundo People from Central Africa by Edmond Boelaert (1949). The study analyses similarities and differences between the supernatural figures in these epics and their respective societies using contextual and socio-critical theories. In this thesis it is demonstrated that the presence of supernatural forces is a sine qua non condition for the existence of the epic in the sense that : “the essential mark of the heroic personality in many African folk epics is its reliance on supernatural resources” (Okpewho 1979 : 119). This study shows that in Africa, supernatural forces play vital roles in the society and therefore dominate the African oral epic traditions. Furthermore, the study is significant in the sense that it tries to describe the worldview, especially the religious and cultural beliefs of the particular society or group that produces the epic. The thesis is made up of six chapters. In the first chapter, I outline the study’s subject matter, its aims and objectives, its significance, its assumptions and methodology. In the second chapter, I examine the impact of supernatural devices on the lives of the epic heroes Sundiata, Shaka, and Lianja, the predictions and divinations about their births, childhoods, exiles or epic journeys, their ascension to the throne as well as their genealogies and deaths. Such analysis allows one to identify the supernatural factors surrounding each stage of the life of the heroes, and to understand further the importance of supernatural forces in the communities and institutions where the heroes exercise their powers. In the third chapter, I discuss the typology of the supernatural forces in the heroic epics Sundiata, Shaka and Lianja, using Greimas’s theory of actants. I divide the characters into protagonists, accessories and opponents. In the fourth chapter, I examine the sources of the supernatural forces prevailing on Sundiata, Shaka, and Lianja. The chapter shows how supernatural agents act on the epic heroes and how these supernatural beings make or mar them in the course of the narratives. In the fifth chapter, I investigate the supernatural factors acting on the heroes’ opponents, and in chapter six, I examine the supernatural forces and heroism of the women in the three epics. In the conclusion, I demonstrate that this analysis of supernatural factors enables us not only to appreciate their place and function in the three African epics under study, but also opens a window onto the culture of the Mandingo, Zulu, and Mongo People’s : their activities, beliefs, taboos and the rules which organise their respective societies. , This thesis is presented in two parts: French and English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Nkaongami, Josue Bosange
- Date: 2017
- Language: French , English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5590 , vital:20944
- Description: This thesis is a comparative study in Francophone literature which analyses the supernatural factors in three African epics, namely the Sundiata or Mandingo Epic from West Africa by Djibril Tasmir Niane (1960), Emperor Shaka The Great : A Zulu Epic from Southern Africa by Mazisi Kunene (1979), and Nsongo’a Lianja : the National Epic of Nkundo People from Central Africa by Edmond Boelaert (1949). The study analyses similarities and differences between the supernatural figures in these epics and their respective societies using contextual and socio-critical theories. In this thesis it is demonstrated that the presence of supernatural forces is a sine qua non condition for the existence of the epic in the sense that : “the essential mark of the heroic personality in many African folk epics is its reliance on supernatural resources” (Okpewho 1979 : 119). This study shows that in Africa, supernatural forces play vital roles in the society and therefore dominate the African oral epic traditions. Furthermore, the study is significant in the sense that it tries to describe the worldview, especially the religious and cultural beliefs of the particular society or group that produces the epic. The thesis is made up of six chapters. In the first chapter, I outline the study’s subject matter, its aims and objectives, its significance, its assumptions and methodology. In the second chapter, I examine the impact of supernatural devices on the lives of the epic heroes Sundiata, Shaka, and Lianja, the predictions and divinations about their births, childhoods, exiles or epic journeys, their ascension to the throne as well as their genealogies and deaths. Such analysis allows one to identify the supernatural factors surrounding each stage of the life of the heroes, and to understand further the importance of supernatural forces in the communities and institutions where the heroes exercise their powers. In the third chapter, I discuss the typology of the supernatural forces in the heroic epics Sundiata, Shaka and Lianja, using Greimas’s theory of actants. I divide the characters into protagonists, accessories and opponents. In the fourth chapter, I examine the sources of the supernatural forces prevailing on Sundiata, Shaka, and Lianja. The chapter shows how supernatural agents act on the epic heroes and how these supernatural beings make or mar them in the course of the narratives. In the fifth chapter, I investigate the supernatural factors acting on the heroes’ opponents, and in chapter six, I examine the supernatural forces and heroism of the women in the three epics. In the conclusion, I demonstrate that this analysis of supernatural factors enables us not only to appreciate their place and function in the three African epics under study, but also opens a window onto the culture of the Mandingo, Zulu, and Mongo People’s : their activities, beliefs, taboos and the rules which organise their respective societies. , This thesis is presented in two parts: French and English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Lʹétude des thèmes du deuil et de la marginalité dans Le Royaume Aveugle et Reine Pokou, concerto pour un sacrifice de Véronique Tadjo
- Sachikonye, Tsitsi Shamiso Anne
- Authors: Sachikonye, Tsitsi Shamiso Anne
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Tadjo, Véronique -- Criticism and interpretation , West African literature (French) -- History and criticism , African fiction (French) -- 20th century
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3603 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002956 , Tadjo, Véronique -- Criticism and interpretation , West African literature (French) -- History and criticism , African fiction (French) -- 20th century
- Description: The field of our study is Francophone African Literature and this thesis explores the themes of marginality and grief both experienced by Princess Akissi in The Blind Kingdom and Princess Pokou in Queen Pokou (2004) during their rise to power in their respective kingdoms. The two novels written by Véronique Tadjo from Ivory Coast, are subjected to thematic analysis because they are both based on similar storylines - that of conflict and rivalry within kingdoms resulting in the exile of the two princesses. One of the novels is set in a pre-colonial period while the other is set in a postcolonial era. Queen Pokou, winner of the 2005 Grand Prix Littéraire d’Afrique Noire (which is the most distinguished prize in Francophone African literature), is a retelling of the founding myths of the Baoulé people of Ivory Coast. In her literary texts, Tadjo transgresses the original legend and her reconstruction of this legend is significant because it challenges the ritual sacrifice made by Princess Pokou in order to free her people and to become queen. In The Blind Kingdom (1990), Tadjo highlights the corruption and injustice of the ruling elite. Space is used to reinforce the King’s domination thus a revolution is necessary to overthrow the exploitative power structures in place. The revolution that takes place relies heavily on the participation of Karim and especially on Princess Akissi who chooses to rebel against her father, King Ato IV in order to stop injustice. This thematic analysis, supported by semiotic theory, aims to establish and demonstrate the relationship between marginality of the two princesses, in particular, and their subsequent grief. It sheds light on the reasons for their exclusion from power as well as the nature of the conflicts that occur as they rise to power. The study postulates that certain myths and images are evoked by the novelist to symbolise the exclusion of the two princesses from power.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Sachikonye, Tsitsi Shamiso Anne
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Tadjo, Véronique -- Criticism and interpretation , West African literature (French) -- History and criticism , African fiction (French) -- 20th century
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3603 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002956 , Tadjo, Véronique -- Criticism and interpretation , West African literature (French) -- History and criticism , African fiction (French) -- 20th century
- Description: The field of our study is Francophone African Literature and this thesis explores the themes of marginality and grief both experienced by Princess Akissi in The Blind Kingdom and Princess Pokou in Queen Pokou (2004) during their rise to power in their respective kingdoms. The two novels written by Véronique Tadjo from Ivory Coast, are subjected to thematic analysis because they are both based on similar storylines - that of conflict and rivalry within kingdoms resulting in the exile of the two princesses. One of the novels is set in a pre-colonial period while the other is set in a postcolonial era. Queen Pokou, winner of the 2005 Grand Prix Littéraire d’Afrique Noire (which is the most distinguished prize in Francophone African literature), is a retelling of the founding myths of the Baoulé people of Ivory Coast. In her literary texts, Tadjo transgresses the original legend and her reconstruction of this legend is significant because it challenges the ritual sacrifice made by Princess Pokou in order to free her people and to become queen. In The Blind Kingdom (1990), Tadjo highlights the corruption and injustice of the ruling elite. Space is used to reinforce the King’s domination thus a revolution is necessary to overthrow the exploitative power structures in place. The revolution that takes place relies heavily on the participation of Karim and especially on Princess Akissi who chooses to rebel against her father, King Ato IV in order to stop injustice. This thematic analysis, supported by semiotic theory, aims to establish and demonstrate the relationship between marginality of the two princesses, in particular, and their subsequent grief. It sheds light on the reasons for their exclusion from power as well as the nature of the conflicts that occur as they rise to power. The study postulates that certain myths and images are evoked by the novelist to symbolise the exclusion of the two princesses from power.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
L'image du peuple dans Le premier homme d'Albert Camus
- Heynderickx, Nathalie Marcel Madeleine
- Authors: Heynderickx, Nathalie Marcel Madeleine
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Camus, Albert, 1913-1960. Premier homme
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3577 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002150 , Camus, Albert, 1913-1960. Premier homme
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Heynderickx, Nathalie Marcel Madeleine
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Camus, Albert, 1913-1960. Premier homme
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3577 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002150 , Camus, Albert, 1913-1960. Premier homme
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
Les elements dramatiques dans les premiers romans (1939-1963) de Nathalie Sarraute
- Authors: O'Grady, Betty
- Date: 1983
- Subjects: Sarraute, Nathalie -- Criticism and interpretation , French fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3617 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006921 , Sarraute, Nathalie -- Criticism and interpretation , French fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1983
- Authors: O'Grady, Betty
- Date: 1983
- Subjects: Sarraute, Nathalie -- Criticism and interpretation , French fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3617 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006921 , Sarraute, Nathalie -- Criticism and interpretation , French fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1983
Le theme de l'absence dans le theatre d'Arthur Adamov
- Authors: Jones, Rosalind
- Date: 1978
- Subjects: Adamov, Arthur -- Criticism and interpretation , French drama -- History and criticism , Absurd (Philosophy) in literature
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3637 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013401
- Description: [From Introduction]. L'oeuvre dramatique d'Arthur Adamov (1908-1970) s'lténd sur une trentaine d'années et révèle une grande variété d'influences et d'intérêts. Depuis son point de départ "absurde" des années quarante en passant par une période oú s'imposent des préoccupations d'ordre social et politique pour aboutir á une fusion des sujets métaphysiques et des sujets engagés dans un théâtre qui est de nouveau non-réaliste et onirique, nous pouvons tracer des influences aussi diverses que celle provenant de Flaubert et des premiers surréalistes, de Strindberg et de Kafka, de Dostoîevsky et des expressionnistes russes et allemands, de Buchner, d'Antonin Artaud, de Brecht et de Karl Marx.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1978
- Authors: Jones, Rosalind
- Date: 1978
- Subjects: Adamov, Arthur -- Criticism and interpretation , French drama -- History and criticism , Absurd (Philosophy) in literature
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3637 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013401
- Description: [From Introduction]. L'oeuvre dramatique d'Arthur Adamov (1908-1970) s'lténd sur une trentaine d'années et révèle une grande variété d'influences et d'intérêts. Depuis son point de départ "absurde" des années quarante en passant par une période oú s'imposent des préoccupations d'ordre social et politique pour aboutir á une fusion des sujets métaphysiques et des sujets engagés dans un théâtre qui est de nouveau non-réaliste et onirique, nous pouvons tracer des influences aussi diverses que celle provenant de Flaubert et des premiers surréalistes, de Strindberg et de Kafka, de Dostoîevsky et des expressionnistes russes et allemands, de Buchner, d'Antonin Artaud, de Brecht et de Karl Marx.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1978
La femme dans l'oeuvre litteraire de Jean-Paul Sartre
- Authors: Seiler, Miriam Zimet
- Date: 1977
- Subjects: Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905-1980 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3641 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1014302
- Description: [From introduction]. Pourquoi examiner Ie rôle de la femme dans l' oeuvre de Sartre? Jean-Paul Sartre est l'un des philosophes les plus importants de ce siècle, un philosophe qui s'est consacré ấ un examen de l'homme et de ses rapports avec l'existence par la liberté conscienter; un penseur qui a montré son individualisme dans le domaine de la politique, n'acceptant que ce qu'il trouve défendable; un romancier et un dramaturge dont l'oeuvre a connu un succès mondial.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1977
- Authors: Seiler, Miriam Zimet
- Date: 1977
- Subjects: Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905-1980 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: French
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3641 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1014302
- Description: [From introduction]. Pourquoi examiner Ie rôle de la femme dans l' oeuvre de Sartre? Jean-Paul Sartre est l'un des philosophes les plus importants de ce siècle, un philosophe qui s'est consacré ấ un examen de l'homme et de ses rapports avec l'existence par la liberté conscienter; un penseur qui a montré son individualisme dans le domaine de la politique, n'acceptant que ce qu'il trouve défendable; un romancier et un dramaturge dont l'oeuvre a connu un succès mondial.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1977
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