Description
Book SynopsisThe fiction of French post-colonial writer Paule Constant is remarkable in its lurid and disturbing portrayals of female characters suffering in profoundly oppressive ''colonizing'' circumstances. In In Search of Shelter: Subjectivity and Spaces of Loss in the Fiction of Paule Constant, author Margot Miller skillfully synthesizes Karen Horney''s model of submission, aggression and withdrawal, Jean Baker Miller''s concept of relational being, Julia Kristeva''s idea of psychic space, and Kelly Oliver''s notions on social support to analyze Constant''s work. Miller''s close reading also brings to light previously unnoticed mythological references in Constant''s fiction which illuminate the characters'' psychological realities, and examines Constant''s nuanced treatment of violence through language. In Search of Shelter: Subjectivity and Spaces of Loss in the Fiction of Paule Constant reveals the myriad intersections of interpersonal and cognitive psychology, mythological and cultural awareness, literature, and lived experience, and suggests new ways of reading these and other works of fiction.
Trade ReviewThis is the first book to be completely devoted to Paule Constant's thought-provoking novels, and Miller's approach to Constant's characters through psychological theory offers some valuable new insights. In revealing the psychological mechanisms and effects of both oppression and powerlessness, she places Constant's oeuvre in a postcolonial, feminist, and, ultimately, universal frame of reference. -- Gill Rye, Institute of Romance Studies, University of London
Margot Miller?s convincing study combines a psychological interpretation of Paule Constant?s ?psychic? spaces and ?neurotic? characters with thematic analyses of her postcolonial fictional world. This approach successfully conveys the complexity and richness of Constant?s novels, to which In Search of Shelter constitutes an excellent introduction.... -- Pierre Verdaguer
In Search of Shelter is an important contribution to postcolonial studies. * Journal Of The Association For Research On Mothering, Fall / Winter 2005 *
. . . intelligent, thoughtful, and straightforward. . . . Readers can look forward to more in-depth analysis in Miller's future books, as her knowledge and understanding of Constant's characters, coulpled with her distinguished background in psychology, will undoubtedly yield additional and equally keen insights tht will aid in the examination, appreciation and teaching of Paule Constant's provocative and enigmatic fiction. * International Journal Of Francophone Studies *
Margot Miller’s convincing study combines a psychological interpretation of Paule Constant’s “psychic” spaces and “neurotic” characters with thematic analyses of her postcolonial fictional world. This approach successfully conveys the complexity and richness of Constant’s novels, to which In Search of Shelter constitutes an excellent introduction. -- Pierre Verdaguer
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction: Postcolonial and Psychological Spaces Chapter 2 Submission and Sainthood Chapter 3 Vanity, Perfectionism, and the Violence of Spite Chapter 4 Apathy, Denial of the Self, and Suicide Chapter 5 Le Grand Ghâpal Chapter 6 Conclusion: Violence, Resistance, and Hope
