Un ethos d’auteur africain ou comment déjouer les stéréotypes : le cas de Mission terminée de Mongo Beti

Abstract

At the time of Independence (1950-1960), the ethos that the African author constructs throughout his literary discourse interacts with a preexisting image previously developed by the writers of the Negritude. Studying the case of Mission to Kala by Mongo Beti, this article examines the interrelations and the tensions between the prior ethos of the “African writer” and the one that Mongo Beti projects in this specific novel. The analysis focuses on the conditions that allow the writing of a novel whose author is looking to reposition himself in the literary French field and, in a broader sense, in the public sphere. By doing so, he reconstructs his identity as a writer as well as an African. Finally, by considering the relationship between the text and its reader we wish to shed light on some institutional dimensions of the so-called “African literature”.

Keywords

• African literature
• author
• ethos
• négritude
• stereotype
• writer