Réalités historiques et univers romanesque dans l'oeuvre de Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
Institution:
Montpellier 3Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
History, especially kenyan history is the background of ngugi"s works of fiction. His first two novels the river between and weep not, child deal with the kikuyu way of life before and after 1870, when european first arrived in kenya. In the river between, ngugi is mainly concerned with the bump of civilisations that followed european settlement. Mau-mau war which took place in the 1950's is the main theme of weep not, child land expropriation is the cause ngugi gives to that conflicts. Ngugi's opinions fit with reality. Since 1967, ngugi is mostly concerned with the way kenya took after her uhuru. In his last three novels a grain of wheat, petals of blood and devil on the cross, the author depicts every day life in kenya and describes how problems affect people. To him. Kenyan society consists in two conflicting classes : those who lead the country and the masses. Leaders keep on getting richer and richer, while the masses go on becoming poorer and poorer. Indeed, says ngugi, 1952 revolution was a failure and another mau-mau-like war is unavoidable. In spite, of his concern with kenya's history and with every day life in kenya; ngugi remains a novelist and his work must be regarded as a work of fiction. He is not a historian. This is why in his novels historical facts and fictive situations are placed side by side. The way themes are related is one of the most striking points in ngugi's novels. Stories are often embedded and the novels become a series of "nests" containing one another. The stream of consciousness plays also an important part in his narration. So do symbols. Time is another concern for ngugi. For gim, past, present and future are linked.
Abstract FR:
L'ensemble des ecrits de ngugi a, pour arriere-plan, l'histoire du kenya. Weep not, child et the river between traitent de la vie des kikuyu avant et apres 1870, date de l'implantation des missionnaires au kenya. C'est le conflit des cultures du a l'opposition radicale entre les systemes des valeurs occidental et indigene. La guerre mau-mau des annees 1950 est au centre de weep not, child. La spoliation des terres est la principale cause de ce conflit. Ngugi rejoint ainsi l'histoire. A partir de 1967, l'ecrivain consacre son oeuvre a l'examen de la gestion de l'independance du pays. A grain of wheat marque la fin de l'idealisme et de l'optimisme des premiers romans. Avec a grain of wheat, petals of blood et devil on the cross, ngugi commente l'actualite quotidienne. L'auteur decrit une communaute kenyane, ou s'affrontent les dirigeants, excessivement riches et les masses, de plus en plus pauvres. L'auteur predit une autre revolte du type mau-mau. Le marxisme guide, ici, son analyse. Cependant, ngugi n'est ni un historien, ni un simple chroniqueur. Ses oeuvres sont, avant tout, des oeuvres de fiction, ou les evenements reels voisinent avec des situations fictives. La facon dont ces evenements sont narres constitue l'aspect le plus frappant de son oeuvre. Ayant choisi un mode de narration oblique, les histoires s'interrompent continuellement et le roman devient, alors, une suite d'enchassements un ensemble d'entonnoirs contenus les uns dans les autres. Le stream of consciousness est l'autre point fort de cette narration. La symbolique participe egalement au developpement des themes. A tout cela, l'auteur a su fondre une temporalite qui s'articule autour de la trialectique passe-present-futur.