The female voice and traditional discourse biases: The case of francophone African literature

This study reports on a statistical approach to Francophone African literature, addressing the issues of discourse bias and the specificity of female writing as against male. The research is based on a comparison of all the characters present in 20 novels written by male and female African authors, under the headings of importance, power and attitude. It suggests that a number of significant differences characterize the make-up of novels written by African female and male authors.Beverley Ormerod, from Jamaica, is currently associate professor of French at the University of Western Australia. Her publications concerning the literature of the French Caribbean and Francophone Africa includeAn Introduction to the French Caribbean Novel (London: Heinemann, 1985) andRomancières africaines d'expression française, with J.-M. Volet (Paris: L'Harmattan, 1994). Jean-Marie Volet, born in Switzerland and currently Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of French Studies at the University of Western Australia, is pursuing research in the fields of African literature and women's writing. His publications includeLa Parole aux Africaines (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1993) andRomancières africaines d'expression française, with B. Ormerod (Paris: L'Harmattan, 1994). Hélène Jaccomard, a tutor in the Department of French Studies at the University of Western Australia and a translator, has research interests in autobiography and literary theory. She has published a book onLe Lecteur et la lecture dans l'autobiographie française contemporaine (Geneva: Droz, 1994) and articles, including Françoise d'Eaubonne: Accuser (la) Réception,The French Review, 68, 3 (1994).