ABSTRACTS

Writing the French Nation of America: A Littérature-monde?

Jonathan Gosnell
(Smith College)

Is Littérature-monde en français a useful concept for thinking about a moribund or barely living French literature of the United States? Literature written by those of French or Francophone descent in Canada is still very much alive, but publishing in French by Franco-Americans of the United States has all but disappeared. In places likes New England and Louisiana, French language novels, essays and newspapers once thrived, until the mid twentieth century in fact; they told the story of the preservation and transformation of French traditions, language and culture. Bilingual and English language versions sometimes followed and often told the story of assimilation. Is Franco-American literature Anglophone or Francophone? This is a complex question when looking at the Franco writings of a Jack Kerouac for instance, which include a good dose of the local French joual of Lowell, Massachusetts. How does Franco-American literature fit into the debate on French and Francophone? In English or French, it asserts an evolving Franco-American identity. I will argue that the literature of the French experience in America is bilingual, transnational and intercultural, in terms of authors, readers, plots, perspectives and protagonists. It is a frequent and irreverent border crosser, a littérature-monde in some respects, conveying a broad range of experiences within Franco-America. Littérature-monde en français is very much a living movement demanding the recognition and value of Francophone cultures. It may be useful for understanding cultures that have been relegated to the annals of history and folklore, or perhaps more optimistically, revival movements.