The Power, Symbolism, and Extension of the Mother in "L'enfant Noir": A Feminine Portrait by a Masculine Author

Weagel, Deborah

doi:10.2307/1348013

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Nukunya (1992), explains a totem as an object, usually a plant or an animal, which is believed to have some ritual association with a group, so members of the group are supposed to treat it in a certain way. The phenomenon or association between man and his totem according to Weagel (2002) is discussed quite extensively in Carl Jung's Man and his Symbols (1964).The significance of this work stems from the fact that totems which are considered a part of primitive societies are as important as any other association or structure for the survival and growth of the society even in modern times. In a fictionalised autobiography, Laye has the leisure and license to indulge in artistic mimesis to underlie the artifice, hence the various aesthetic devices he uses that call attention to the work's fictiveness--such as the centrality of totems--are not only autobiographical but strategies to underline the fictional and ethnographic essence of the work.…”

Section: Totemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed according to Weagel (2002) sowing of seeds is a male symbol which is expected to yield result from being in the earth which is the female and from this 'copulation', life is reborn several times. Weagel (2002) Sex (1989) where the earth is compared to a woman and the seeds sown within her burrows as representing the man. In The African Child, it can be observed that the harvest is a sacred and special occasion.…”

Section: Harvest/religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnography Within an Autobiographical Portrait: The Case of Camara Laye’s the African Child

Odoi

Klu

2018

Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Engl. Lit.

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Africa as a continent has many ethnic groups. For most non-Africans, Africa is a homogenous society and therefore all African societies and cultures are lumped together. There may be many similarities between cultures. However, the subtleties in culture for each group are not obvious to people outside Africa and most often they are ignored. Early novelists from Africa like Camara Laye have sought to project their own unique stories and give an expose on what and why their ethnic group puts up certain practices. In these stories however, the artist also invariably writes the history or ethnography of the group. So, though Laye's work is regarded as a novel and in most instances as an autobiography of childhood, the work has deep touches of ethnography and therefore provides a bridge between these two spheres. It becomes therefore important to have a close study of these two domains as shown in The African Child. This paper therefore aims at investigating some ethnographic concerns of the Mandinka society and analyzes the purpose and role of two prominent names used in the work. It is these apparently neglected part that aid in projecting Laye's autobiography.

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Section: Totemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Harvest/religionmentioning

confidence: 99%