Des femmes des années 1920 au pays des vahinés

Abstract

Arriving in Tahiti in the 1920s, Elsa Triolet and Élisabeth Sauvy – better known under the pseudonym Titaÿna – developed a sinister image of the island in their books À Tahiti, for the former, and Mon Tour du monde and Loin, for the latter. Reflecting their disappointment, their writings often give way to stereotype and clichés. The authors report on their impressions and observations but do not engage in literary research. Moreover, when they emphasise the transient nature of Polynesian civilisation, the two travellers see French colonisation as a failure.

Keywords

• inter-war period
• Triolet (Elsa)
• Titaÿna
• Polynesia
• stereotypes