Duras: La Pute de la Côte normande; Nationalism & Identity

Nationalism & Identity

In a determination of autobiographical identity and in my work in autofiction, I have been especially interested in how a particular writer's construction of self-identity is inevitably linked to the historical and familial present in which he or she lives. As only stated implicitly on the previous page ("Origins, Others"), self-identity (in this case, that of Marguerite Donnadieu/Duras) is often formed with/against/as a result of one's compagnons de route -- the single and individually important relatives, lovers, and close friends. National and group forces can be as important and influential in forming a personal identity as particular individuals; by means of the multiple influences of propaganda, socialisation processes and identity politics, a "national" identity can as simple (and complex) as a shared language or specific cultural habits. Writing about her mother, Duras speaks of her first bite of a European apple:

Un jour, elle est allée à Saigon, elle a ramené des pommes reinettes, je ne sais pas comment on les appelle, ces pommes rouges? Elle nous a forcés à en manger. On ne pouvait pas les avaler, on disait que c'était du coton, que ça ne se mangeait pas, on ne pouvait pas manger de la nourriture française. J'ai fait une sorte d'anorexie quand j'avais dix ans, à Pnom-Penh, on me forçait à manger des biftecks, je vomissais les biftecks; on était de là-bas, de la brousse, vraiment.
(Les Lieux de M.D. 60-61)

"Être de là-bas": whence do we come? where is the point of origin(s)? Or, in Gauguin's words (writing in Tahiti in 1897): "D'où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?"

In the passage cited above, when Duras recalls her first bite of an apple, we are forcefully reminded that, much as Marguerite Donnadieu was born of two French nationals (albeit in the overseas colonies and not in metropolitan France), there was something about what it means to be "French" that was entirely foreign to her. Her autofictional writings of memories and fabrication are founded upon her "Indochinese" childhood.

For a panel of the Modern Language Association in December 1996, I presented a paper entitled "Constructions de mémoire personnelle et de l'identité nationale" for a special session ("L'anamnèse en procès et procès de l'anamnèse") of the "Francophone Literatures & Cultures" division. In my discussions with the panel chair, Prof. Elisabeth Boyi of Stanford University, Duras was questioned as a proper example of a "Francophone" (often implying non-French or non-European in academic circles, rather than meaning simply "French-speaking") author. Just how "French" is Marguerite Duras?

After completing this Duras hypertext in August 1996, I was developing ideas about Duras and her "national" identity for an article on this theme (in English) entitled "Autofiction and National Identity" for a special issue ("Autobiography") of the new journal Sites (Vol. 1, No. 2). My thoughts on autobiography and national identity -- for this article and for the MLA panel -- include a discussion of francophone texts with particularly important marks of the confluent influences of personal and national histories. The novels -- my interest is autofiction -- of Mariama Bâ, Ken Bugul, Patrick Chamoiseau, Assia Djebar, Amadou Hampaté Bâ, or Camara Laye exemplify the works I consider. I welcome suggested thoughts regarding these ideas about Duras and/or autobiographical identity as it is colored by nationalism.

Return to "Origins, Others"