‘Cultural Representations : Strange or Stranger ? Displaced Identities in V.S. Naipaul’ Représentations' - Université Grenoble Alpes
Article Dans Une Revue Représentations, revue électronique du CEMRA Année : 2007

‘Cultural Representations : Strange or Stranger ? Displaced Identities in V.S. Naipaul’ Représentations'

Madhu Benoit

Résumé

Naipaul, through a quirk in history, is a stranger, if not a foreigner, in his native Trinidad, as he is a third generation immigrant from India. Thus it is difficult in Naipaul’s case to define that ‘elsewhere’ which is ‘home’. As the word ‘home’ is inevitable linked with identity, it is commonplace to remark that the Nobel laureate’s work often centres on what has frequently been called an ‘identity quest’. Identity is constructed on an individual basis, but within a given social structure, the alienation of which could lead to a corresponding alienation of identity. Thus it follows that a displaced identity equals alienation – a favourite Naipaul theme. Does displacement of identity mean dislocation of identity for the Trinidadian writer? Or does alienation automatically follow geographical dislocation? This paper examines Naipaul’s own cultural dislocation, and then looks at dislocation of identity in his book, In a Free State.

Domaines

Littératures
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-02009436 , version 1 (06-02-2019)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-02009436 , version 1

Citer

Madhu Benoit. ‘Cultural Representations : Strange or Stranger ? Displaced Identities in V.S. Naipaul’ Représentations'. Représentations, revue électronique du CEMRA, 2007, juin. ⟨hal-02009436⟩

Collections

UGA CEMRA
41 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

More