La representation de l'identite dans la litterature de la Guadeloupe et de la Martinique

The goal of this thesis is to explore the ways in which identity is represented in French Caribbean literature (Guadeloupe and Martinique). Literature is often the place where Caribbean writers explore new ways of defining themselves. This quest for an authentic cultural identity can be mostly explained by the colonial legacy of the French Caribbean.;This study will first explore the important role of re-writing history. It will then examine the Creolite movement and the way in which the Creole language and culture are celebrated in literary texts. Finally, it will look at how the French Caribbean define their relationship to the Other. The authors studied for this thesis are Edouard Glissant, Patrick Chamoiseau, Simone Schwarz-Bart and Maryse Conde.