Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Summative Essay Titles

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

You may, If you wish, discuss the same text/thinker in a summative assignment as you have discussed in a piece of formative assignment, but you must not reproduce in part or whole any of your formative assignment in your summative assignment.You should note that in the examination for this module, you will not be permitted to answer a question relating to material on which you have submitted an assessed essay.

You will receive guidance and support in the writing of your summative essay in the following ways:

  1. Refresher workshop on library skills (Tuesday 7thFebruary, H4.44, 4-5 pm).
  2. There will be some discussion of assessment for this module during the course of the module programme itself.

Assessed essays are designed to allow you to explore, in depth, a well-defined area of francophone Caribbean writing that particularly interests you and, for this reason, they have titles, rather than being framed as answers to questions, as are exam essays.

Your essay should be a comparison of two texts, both of which should be named in your title (eg: ‘The legacies of slavery in Aimé Césaire’s Cahier d’un retour au pays natal and Patrick Chamoiseau's L'Esclave vieil homme et le molosse').

I have listed below some possible examples of the kinds of topics that you might consider covering, but this is by no means exhaustive: you're free to combine the topics (eg: 'The Representation of Women in Creole Writing') or make up your own title completely. If you choose to do this, please be as inventive as you like - but also make sure that you consult me first and get your title agreed.


1. The legacies of slavery
2. Orality
3. Identity and belonging
4. From Négritude to Créolité
5. The representation of women
6. History/story/memory

7. Agency, language and culture
8. A title of your own invention.

So possible titles could be (but again the list is not exhaustive as other combinations would be possible):

- 'Orality in Patrick Chamoiseau's L'Esclave vieil homme et le molosse and Maryse Condé's Victoire, les saveurs et mots'.

- Identity and Belonging in Frantz Fanon's Peau noire, masques blancs and Aimé Césaire’s Cahier d’un retour au pays natal'.

- 'Explore the Shift from Négritude to Créolité in Aimé Césaire’s Cahier d’un retour au pays natal and Patrick Chamoiseau's L'Esclave vieil homme et le molosse'.

- 'The Representation of Women in Maryse Condé's Victoire, les saveurs et mots and Daniel Maximin's L'Ile et une nuit'.

- 'History, Story, and Memory in L'Esclave vieil homme et le molosse and Daniel Maximin's L'Ile et une nuit'.

- Agency, Language, and Culture in Frantz Fanon's Peau noire, masques blancs and Maryse Condé's Victoire, les saveurs et mots'.

Etc.