RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
A1 Abdelatif Benamar, Mohammed
T1 The beur novel: from the stereotype to the pastiche, the case of Ali le Magnifique by Paul Smaïl
JF Romanica Olomucensia
YR 2017
VO 29
IS 1
SP 77
OP 86
DO 10.5507/ro.2017.006
UL https://romanica.upol.cz/artkey/rom-201701-0006.php
AB This article addresses the phenomenon of stereotyping from a narratological and literary point of view, especially its deployment in "beur literature". In this context specifically, the stereotypes are to be understood as "cliché", because if the stereotype reflects the reality of society to some extent, the cliché, initially, is reinterpreted in literary fiction, where it performs a poetic and rhetorical function. Therefore, studying the cliché in the literary context is of major importance, since this kind of writing is able to generate textual typologies, mainly created of clichés, thus inviting some critics to use the designation "stereotypical literature". The object of this study, the novel Ali le Magnifique, would be part of this "stereotypical literature", since it is considered as a pastiche of the beur novel, and any pastiche requires a codified writing which is the result of a horizon of expectations and a play on stereotypes. The following questions will be addressed: What is this pastiche made of? How does the false beur novelist manage to write a pastiche of the beur novel? Why Paul Smaïl's pastiche? It has to be stressed that Paul Smaïl's pastiche emphasizes some stereotypes, such as racism, discrimination, or unemployment, which, in turn, form important writing clichés. The aim of this paper is to see more precisely, through Ali le Magnifique, which are the main clichés and commonplaces that give this literature an easily recognizable style.