| dc.description | The question of identity has been at the centre of Quebec literature since its very beginnings; Quebec writers continue to ponder their connection to the other and to search for a satisfactory means of defining the self. Our thesis examines the representation of identity during the 1990's in fiction by seven Quebec novelists: Ying Chen, Abla Farhoud, Sergio Kokis, Yan Muckle, Pierre Samson, Lise Tremblay and Elise Turcotte. This study is divided into two sections: solitude and self-other relationships. In the first part, we explore exile and memory. Both physical exile and internal exile are characterised by distance, isolation and marginalisation vis-a-vis the self and the other. Memory is also a solitary experience. On the one hand, it is often in the context of the solitude brought on by exile that characters embark on a quest to understand their past. On the other hand, memory symbolizes the absence of the other. We discuss interpersonal relationships and creation in the second part of this thesis; these two topics represent for certain characters the possibility to move beyond their solitude and participate in the world. Identity is always defined in the context of self-other relationships, and these relationships are based on language and on ethics; a lack of communication can devalue one's identity, whereas communication based on love and generosity is an affirmation of identity and serves as a testimonial to the profound respect which underlies all constructive human relationships. | en_US |
