Family Fugues

Abstract

Chapter 5 identifies a compelling new tendency in contemporary written works to represent locations that are found beyond the author’s homeland or France. While many of their texts depict either their birthplace or their adopted location, some of the more recent works by worldwide women writers in Paris reflect first-hand knowledge of sites, languages, and customs that are neither native nor Parisian, and that provide enriching complements to the French-language literary corpus. Before reaching this stage in their writing careers, most of these women departed from all that was familiar, distancing themselves from their loved ones in a move that foreshadowed larger transnational movements to come, and that hinted at the promising potential of literary works that do not conform to expectations tied to geography or ethnicity.