Title
Sex, sailors and colonies: Narratives of ambiguity in the works of Pierre Loti
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
2005
Abstract
This book focuses on the oeuvre of nineteenth-century author and naval captain Julien Viaud (1850-1923) who wrote under the pseudonym Pierre Loti. Considered a best-seller in his day and a distinguished naval figure, Loti's contribution to French naval and literary history is significant. This work suggests a new reading of Loti's literature that positions his texts within the critical theoretical paradigms of Postcolonialism and Queer Theory. This study examines both Loti's fictional and non-fictional opus. It explores the dominant themes relayed throughout his oeuvre including his portrayal of exotic sexuality as being underpinned by a desire to elude articulation, his uncertain approach to colonialism given the constant shift between his identity as a colonising sailor and sympathising exoticist and Loti's own self-representation in both his fictional and non-fictional works. His constant re-invention of «Pierre Loti» as a persona in his writing creates a question about who Loti really is and how much of the man is represented in the so-called autobiographical text. These seemingly disparate themes of sexuality, colonialism and personal identity are all interrogated as posssible sites of ambiguity, thus revealing the general scope and complexity of Loti's work. [Retrieved from publisher's website]
Recommended Citation
De Burgh, H. (2005). Sex, sailors and colonies: Narratives of ambiguity in the works of Pierre Loti. Bern & New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Comments
Due to copyright restrictions this book is unavailable for download.
Sex, sailors and colonies: Narratives of ambiguity in the works of Pierre Loti may be accessed from the publisher here
Sex, sailors and colonies: Narratives of ambiguity in the works of Pierre Loti may be accessed as a Google Book from the National Library of Australia here