French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. GARRAIT-BOURRIER, N. Scott Momaday. The Bear-Man: Voice and Gaze
Francophone and Oral Literatures

Anne GARRAIT-BOURRIER, N. SCOTT MOMADAY, THE BEAR-MAN: Voice and Gaze

PU Blaise Pascal, Littératures series, 2005, 398 p.
Distribution: C.I.D.
EAN: 9782845162952

30 €

Born in Oklahoma in 1934, Navarro Scott Momaday belongs to the oldest living ethnic group in North America. With his Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (House Made of Dawn, 1969), beyond personal success, he witnessed the beginnings of legal recognition for a marginalized American population. Scott Momaday belongs to the 1970s movement, yet perhaps in a more subtle and ambiguous way than the activists of "Red Power." He writes within the identifiable generic forms of the novel or the poem, acknowledges the influence of major American and European authors, and recognizes the cultural impact of Christianity, incorporating its biblical imagery and symbols into his narratives. Furthermore, his multicultural background attracted attention very early on for its originality and symbolic power, making him an emblematic figure in the American context of the period.
His writing reconstructs a strong pan-Indian identity through a "trans-language" carved out of the dominant discourse and inhabited by the origin myths not only of his own community, but also of those he knew in his childhood: Navajos, Apaches, Jemez...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chronology Interview with N. Scott MOMADAY Introduction

Approaches to the Historical and Social Reality of the Work
1. Between Tradition and Modernity: Native American Reality
a. A Few Clichés to Avoid
b. The Indian and the History of Assimilation: A Difficult Journey
c. The Place of Women in the Work: From Social Role to Mythic Dimension
2. History of the West: From Reality to Fantasy
a. The West as a Subject of Writing
b. The West: The "Geographies" of a Work

Self-Portrait of a Work: From Concept to Example
1. Self-Conceptualization of the Work
a. An Intimate Act of Testimony
b. Autobiography and Oral Tradition
c. The Spirit of Language
d. A Rebellious Artist
2. The Names, a Memoir: From Concept to Example
a. A "Mythologized Autobiography": An Indigenous Voice
b. The Power of Name and Landscape
3. Fictional Self-Portrait
a. Figures of the Author in House Made of Dawn
b. The Ancient Child and the Autography of a Mythic Destiny

Magical Realism: The "Mythologies" of a Work
1. A Writing of Ethnicity: Native American Textual Strategies and Narrative Coding
a. The Way to Rainy Mountain: An Indigenous Text
b. Application of These Strategies to the Novel
2. Myths and Symbols: A Universal and Sacred Language
a. A Mythic Voice
b. Symbolism in House Made of Dawn and The Ancient Child

Toward a Minor Literature
1. The Power of Vision
a. Interplays of Gazes in House Made of Dawn
b. The Eye of the Shamaness in The Ancient Child
2. The Spirit of Childhood: A Sacred Territory
a. The Boy of Origins in The Ancient Child
b. Children's Literature and Archaic Expression
3. Poetic Expression: The "Outside" of Language
a. Introduction to Momadayian Poetry
b. From Academic Training to Creative Freedom: The Path Toward an "Outside" of Norms
c. Momaday and Poetic Elsewhere: Dickinson and Tuckerman

Conclusion

Bibliography.

Anne Garrait-Bourrier examines the literary trajectory of N. Scott Momaday, a pivotal figure who gained widespread recognition after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with House Made of Dawn in 1969. The study situates Momaday within the complex cultural landscape of the 1970s, moving beyond simple political categorization to analyze how his works—such as The Names, a Memoir and The Way to Rainy Mountain—bridge traditional oral storytelling with Western literary forms. By engaging with both European traditions and indigenous mythologies, Momaday constructs a unique trans-language that redefines American literary expression.

This scholarly overview will particularly assist students and researchers investigating Native American literature, postcolonial narratives, and the intersection of history and myth in modern fiction. The volume addresses central themes including identity formation, the influence of landscape, and the interplay between dominant cultural discourses and indigenous perspectives. By highlighting concepts like magical realism and the role of the shamanic gaze, the book provides essential critical tools for understanding how contemporary authors negotiate heritage and artistic autonomy within multicultural societies.