Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s
<p>This thesis investigates the long-neglected relationship between Decadence and colonialism at the <em>fin de siècle</em> which also coincided with the age of France’s high imperialism. Generally considered a European literary and cultural movement, Decadence has rarely been exam...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2019
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| _version_ | 1797112065149632512 |
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| author | Suwanwattana, W |
| author2 | Yee, J |
| author_facet | Yee, J Suwanwattana, W |
| author_sort | Suwanwattana, W |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>This thesis investigates the long-neglected relationship between Decadence and colonialism at the <em>fin de siècle</em> which also coincided with the age of France’s high imperialism. Generally considered a European literary and cultural movement, Decadence has rarely been examined outside its Western boundaries, not least in connection with the empire. The <em>fin-de-siècle</em> colonial literature of Indochina emerges as a particularly compelling case reflecting a complex interplay between Decadence and colonialism, aesthetics and politics, at a time when France was seeking to redefine its national identity in relation to the increasingly significant concept of <em>la plus Grande France</em> and in opposition to other European powers.</p>
<p>By combining colonial discourse analysis with postcolonial and cultural studies approaches, with special emphasis on a historicist approach, this thesis engages in close readings of novels, short stories and poetry written by a number of French travellers and colonisers, most notably Paul Bonnetain, Jules Boissière, Albert de Pouvourville, Claude Farrère, Myriam Harry, Clotilde Chivas-Baron, and Jeanne Leuba. In particular it focuses on three key decadent tropes: opium, subversive sexualities, and the allure of the <em>néant</em> seen in terms of both spirituality and the ruins of past civilisations. Reading Decadence against colonial ideology and in relation with a wide range of <em>fin-de-siècle</em> scholarly and popular discourses, reveals that the decadent articulation of the colonial encounter is fundamentally <em>political</em>, in contrast to its perceived aestheticist detachment. Through its ambiguous propensity for revelling in what it deprecates, decadent literature often introduces ambivalence and oppositional counter-narratives disrupting the colonialist foundations on which the French rule in Indochina and the neat boundaries between coloniser and colonised are built. A postcolonial reading of decadent literature suggests the presence of ‘critical Decadence’ that points to a need to reassess the monolithic pro-colonial view of colonial literature.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:19:10Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:bf39899a-60b6-4fbd-ab8d-c5646cc3bd2e |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:19:10Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:bf39899a-60b6-4fbd-ab8d-c5646cc3bd2e2024-01-17T09:04:36ZDecadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920sThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:bf39899a-60b6-4fbd-ab8d-c5646cc3bd2eCultural studiesGender studiesFrench cultural historyPostcolonial studiesEmpire studiesColonial literatureFrench literatureEnglishORA Deposit2019Suwanwattana, WYee, J<p>This thesis investigates the long-neglected relationship between Decadence and colonialism at the <em>fin de siècle</em> which also coincided with the age of France’s high imperialism. Generally considered a European literary and cultural movement, Decadence has rarely been examined outside its Western boundaries, not least in connection with the empire. The <em>fin-de-siècle</em> colonial literature of Indochina emerges as a particularly compelling case reflecting a complex interplay between Decadence and colonialism, aesthetics and politics, at a time when France was seeking to redefine its national identity in relation to the increasingly significant concept of <em>la plus Grande France</em> and in opposition to other European powers.</p> <p>By combining colonial discourse analysis with postcolonial and cultural studies approaches, with special emphasis on a historicist approach, this thesis engages in close readings of novels, short stories and poetry written by a number of French travellers and colonisers, most notably Paul Bonnetain, Jules Boissière, Albert de Pouvourville, Claude Farrère, Myriam Harry, Clotilde Chivas-Baron, and Jeanne Leuba. In particular it focuses on three key decadent tropes: opium, subversive sexualities, and the allure of the <em>néant</em> seen in terms of both spirituality and the ruins of past civilisations. Reading Decadence against colonial ideology and in relation with a wide range of <em>fin-de-siècle</em> scholarly and popular discourses, reveals that the decadent articulation of the colonial encounter is fundamentally <em>political</em>, in contrast to its perceived aestheticist detachment. Through its ambiguous propensity for revelling in what it deprecates, decadent literature often introduces ambivalence and oppositional counter-narratives disrupting the colonialist foundations on which the French rule in Indochina and the neat boundaries between coloniser and colonised are built. A postcolonial reading of decadent literature suggests the presence of ‘critical Decadence’ that points to a need to reassess the monolithic pro-colonial view of colonial literature.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Cultural studies Gender studies French cultural history Postcolonial studies Empire studies Colonial literature French literature Suwanwattana, W Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s |
| title | Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s |
| title_full | Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s |
| title_fullStr | Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s |
| title_short | Decadent Indochina and French Colonial Literature, 1880s to 1920s |
| title_sort | decadent indochina and french colonial literature 1880s to 1920s |
| topic | Cultural studies Gender studies French cultural history Postcolonial studies Empire studies Colonial literature French literature |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT suwanwattanaw decadentindochinaandfrenchcolonialliterature1880sto1920s |