Women Writers of Gabon: Literature and Herstory

by Cheryl Toman

Overview

This book demonstrates how the invisibility of women in Gabon has led to the omission of Gabon’s literature from the African canon, and discusses the unique elements of Gabonese women’s writing that show it is worthy of critical recognition. Toman explores the unique contributions Gabonese women writers have made to literature by exploring the works of major voices in Gabonese women’s writing and provides a brief introduction to the younger generation of Gabonese women writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498537209
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	10/07/2016
Series:	After the Empire: The Francophone World and Postcolonial France
Pages:	170
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Cheryl Toman is associate professor of French and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Ethnic Studies Program at Case Western Reserve University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Assessing an “Absence” of Literature in Gabon and the Invisibility of Women Chapter One: The Emergence of the Gabonese Novel: The Works of Angèle Rawiri Chapter Two: Justine Mintsa and Gabonese Writers of Fang Heritage: Orality, Culture, and Tradition Chapter Three: Fang Culture, Bwitifang Spirituality and the mvet in the Novels of Sylvie Ntsame Chapter Four: Gender and Sexuality in Selected Works of Honorine Ngou Chapter Five: Taking Literature to the Schools: Gabon’s Children and the Contribution of the Woman Writer Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

In Women Writers of Gabon: Literature and Herstory, French studies scholar Cheryl Toman provides extensive tools to understand how Gabonese Afra writers (such as Angèle Rawiri, Justine Mintsa, Sylvie Ntsame, and Honorine Ngou) represent women’s embodied experiences at the juncture of gender, sexuality, Westernization, and oppressive aspects of African traditions. By centering on the significance of symbolic drama and the ritualizing of experiences, the book pioneers scholarship that examines Gabonese women writers’ unique, and often overlooked, feminist use of Fang traditions.... Writers of Gabon demonstrates the compelling contributions made by Gabonese women writers in literature and culture.

Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature

Presenting her readers with an insightful analysis of the works of the first generation of women writers of Gabon, Cheryl Toman examines the ways in which the writers articulate the economic, political and social issues of their society and depict the richness of their unique cultural heritage. Arguing that Gabonese women writers have not received the attention they merit, she confirms the unique contributions of Gabonese women writers to contemporary African literature.

Mildred Mortimer

Cheryl Toman has rendered an invaluable service to the field of women’s studies, most particularly in regards to women writers of the francophone world, with her Women Writers of Gabon: Literature and Herstory, the first-ever comprehensive and extremely well-researched examination in English of Gabonese women’s writing. Moreover, despite the fact there are some analyses in French of Gabonese women’s writing, not one of them is as comprehensive as Toman’s.... Toman very eloquently and adeptly justifies why Gabonese women deserved to be respected and recognized as a highly significant force in African literature.

Women in French Studies

This is a landmark book that fills a major gap in African literary studies by attending to the overlooked and lesser-known Gabonese literary tradition. Cheryl Toman delivers a brilliant literary, cultural and feminist analysis of Gabonese women writings that provide critical insights to a vibrant literary scene in Gabon. 

Ayo A. Coly

A very interesting segment of Toman’s study resides in a rare exploration of the role and importance of the Fang culture in Gabonese women’s writing.... [T]he book...remains a timely, much-needed, and resourceful study of Gabonese women’s writing.

French Studies

This study puts the spotlight on what is clearly a gap in literary and academic writing on African literary production in French.... Toman has worked with Gabonese women writers for several years and her research included field trips to Gabon. The rich literary review that has emerged from these encounters is an insightful introduction to a unique literary scene and a sound point of departure for future research.

Bulletin of Francophone Postcolonial Studies