The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ
In her two novels, Une si longue lettre and Un Chant écarlate , Mariama Bâ describes how political as well as domestic problems develop from the tensions between tradition and the modern world. Desire for power and money leads to a post-independence society, in which greed motivates politicians a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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New Prairie Press
1994-06-01
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| Series: | Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature |
| Online Access: | http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol18/iss2/4 |
| _version_ | 1818360756840693760 |
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| author | Adele King |
| author_facet | Adele King |
| author_sort | Adele King |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In her two novels, Une si longue lettre and Un Chant écarlate , Mariama Bâ describes how political as well as domestic problems develop from the tensions between tradition and the modern world. Desire for power and money leads to a post-independence society, in which greed motivates politicians and in which a woman is treated as merchandise to be purchased by the richest man. Adherence to a supposed ideal pre-colonial community, however, can lead to both the subjugation of women and political isolation. Bâ wants a morality based on respect for others, and a willingness to discard those traditions that inhibit such respect. She is critical of any separatism, between man and woman, black and white, European and African. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:05:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8daca1142f5d4ce781403b1cbd8030bd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2334-4415 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:05:51Z |
| publishDate | 1994-06-01 |
| publisher | New Prairie Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature |
| spelling | doaj.art-8daca1142f5d4ce781403b1cbd8030bd2022-12-21T23:31:29ZengNew Prairie PressStudies in 20th & 21st Century Literature2334-44151994-06-0118210.4148/2334-4415.13485635605The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama BâAdele KingIn her two novels, Une si longue lettre and Un Chant écarlate , Mariama Bâ describes how political as well as domestic problems develop from the tensions between tradition and the modern world. Desire for power and money leads to a post-independence society, in which greed motivates politicians and in which a woman is treated as merchandise to be purchased by the richest man. Adherence to a supposed ideal pre-colonial community, however, can lead to both the subjugation of women and political isolation. Bâ wants a morality based on respect for others, and a willingness to discard those traditions that inhibit such respect. She is critical of any separatism, between man and woman, black and white, European and African.http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol18/iss2/4 |
| spellingShingle | Adele King The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature |
| title | The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ |
| title_full | The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ |
| title_fullStr | The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ |
| title_short | The Personal and the Political in the Work of Mariama Bâ |
| title_sort | personal and the political in the work of mariama ba |
| url | http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol18/iss2/4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adeleking thepersonalandthepoliticalintheworkofmariamaba AT adeleking personalandthepoliticalintheworkofmariamaba |