Kamel Daoud’s Meursault Contre-enquête

Abstract

The present paper deals with the juxtaposition between Colonial and Post-Colonial writings, with a focus on the latter as a response to the former. More precisely, it analyzes Kamel Daoud’s reply to Albert Camus’ L’Etranger, in his Meursault Contre-Enquête. The method used consists of different parts. The paper overviews the core of Colonialism, that is, Colonial Discourse as presented by Edward Said. The research defines Post-Colonial Studies that come as a reaction to the Colonial Discourse. Finally, the study is limited to one specific field presented by the scholar Helen Tiffin who suggests the Canonical Counter-Discourse as a technique used by several Post-Colonial writers to counter-attack the Colonial Discourse. On the basis of her theory, the current paper aims at discerning Daoud’s Counter-Discourse from his alliance to the Colonial one in his novel. Seeking to deepen the study, the paper compares Daoud’s text to other Post-Colonial responses to European Canons, namely Aimé Césaire’s Une Tempête, and J.M. Coetzee’s Foe. By the end, the result of the comparison reveals Daoud’s weakness and leniency in his Counter-Discourse: a considerable duality and ambiguity, for he simultaneously denounces and imitates Camus’ text.