The occasion of the letter is the death of ramatoulaye falls husband. Written by awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the original french, so long a letter has been recognized as one of africas 100. So long a letter is a landmark book a sensation in its own country and an education for outsiders. So, i can notice one of her work that is so long a letter, has presented those characters throughout this story. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a fortyday period of isolation and. That is a powerful and evocative analysis of the book, ndeye. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by mariama. Feminism feminism is a particularly strong theme throughout the novel. In the letter, she describes the suffering she has undergone in a largely patriarchal society.
Addressed to her best friend aissatou, the letters chronicle ramatoulayes emotional journey after her husbands second marriage and his unexpected death. Goodreads members who liked so long a letter also liked. Mariama is able to capture the emotion and the day to day life of an african woman in a typical african home setting. T nhe semiautobiographical novella, so long a letter by mariama ba, focuses on the reminiscences of a muslim, frencheducated, middleaged senegalese schoolteacher, ramatoulaye, during her iddat, the mourning period of four months and 10 days prescribed for muslim widows. Barbara celarent university of atlantis french colonialism opened some important doors to african men. When a vowel is a long vowel, that means the vowel says its name. So long a letter summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
This book kept me bound to it completely while reading. Mariama ba, a longtime womens activist, set out to write a book that exposed the double standard between men and women in africa. The letter addressed to a friend is a record of ramatoulyes emotional. So long a letter is an epistolary novel written in the voice of ramatoulaye, a senegalese school teacher. So long a letter is a story about ramatoulaye, a school teacher who writes a letter to her friend aissatou. So long a letter 1989 so long a letter so long a letter page. So long a letter characters from litcharts the creators of. The theme of education forms the connecting link between the three parts of so long a letter, which focuses on the emotional journey of ramatoulaye, a frencheducated school. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese. Too bad for me if once again i have to write you so long a letter p. Ramatoulaye belongs to the generation that grew up under the french colonial regime and came of age just as senegal was achieving its independence. It treats the reader as a sounding board with which the author can clarify her own thoughts to. So long a letter is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulye, who has recently been widowed.
Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. So long a letter definitely, the best novel i have ever read, i felt like living this story over. Ben0 favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite march, 2019 subject. So long a letter by mariama ba, 1989, heinemann edition, in english so long a letter 1989 edition open library. Toundi ondoua, the rural african protagonist of houseboy, encounters a world of prisms that cast beautiful but unobtainable glimmers, especially for a black youth in colonial cameroon. Aug 20, 20 that is a powerful and evocative analysis of the book, ndeye. So long a letter is a semiautobiographical epistolary novel originally written in french by the. So long a letter summary from litcharts the creators of. So long a letter, mariama bas first novel, is literally written as a long letter. This book, so long a letter, originally written in french, won the first noma prize for publishing in africa in 1980 and is now considered as one of africas 100 best books of the 20th century.
Written by awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the original french, so long a letter has been recognized as one of africas 100 best books of the 20th century. Mariama ba this novel is in the form of a letter, written by the widowed ramatoulaye and describing her struggle for survival. So long a letter study guide from litcharts the creators of. Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. At 95 pages its a reasonably quick read, once youve learnt whos who in ramatoulayes life. Fighting back against both western and muslim misconceptions about women in. An autobiographical rereading of mariama bas novel. Mariama ba, a senegalese writer and longtime women activist, set out to write a book that exposed the double standard between men and women in africa. Lagranja collection book archive literary download so long a letter by mariama ba pdf. Mistac5461 favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite june 24, 2018 subject. So long a letter begins when ramatoulaye, a senegalese woman living in dakar, the countrys capital, decides to write a letter to her old friend aissatou, who lives in america. What i mean by masculine is that man has more power. The result, so long a letter, eventually won the first noma award for publishing in africa. Feb 02, 2017 ramatoulaye is the narrator of so long a letter.
She has a dozen children, and then theres the friends and family of her husbands second wife as well, theres a lot of characters for such a short book. So long a letter, a work of fiction by mariama ba, is set in dakar, senegal, where the main character ramatoulaye writes a letter to her friend, aissatou, who lives in. For example, in mariama bas so long a letter, men are generally depicted as unfaithful husbands, irresponsible fathers, shameless womanizers or studshegoats, who go after any woman on skirt. This novel recounts the stories of two women and their husbands, lifelong friends living in senegal during the postcolonial period of national reformulation. So long a letter summary and study guide supersummary. Our lives developed in parallel, and they continue to do so, as both have recently lost their husbands yesterday you were divorced.
The short narrative, written as a longer letter, is a chain of reminiscencessome wistful, a few bitterrecounted by way of lately widowed senegalese. So long a letter by mariama ba under the neem tree. This comprehensive lesson plan includes 30 daily lessons, 180 multiple choice questions, 20 essay questions, 20 fun activities, and more everything you need to teach so long a letter. One that stuck in my mind is the total disregard for women that these men are said to possess. The result, so long a letter, eventually won the first noma. Written in a refreshingly forthright manner, the novel avoids usual narrative. In 1981 the book won the first ever noma award for publishing in africa, and it went. So long a letter, a work of fiction by mariama ba, is set in dakar, senegal, where the main character ramatoulaye writes a letter to her friend, aissatou, who lives in america. Mariama ba, a longtime womens activist, set out to write a. The question and answer section for so long a letter is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Much of ramas character development over the course of the book involves her growing ability to see women, including herself, as fully autonomous humans deserving of equality. Some parts of the book were a little hard to follow but i think thats a small price we pay when translating from one language to another. Find books like so long a letter from the worlds largest community of readers.
I read so long a letter a log time ago in the university for my english class. Role of women in so long a letter by mariama ba mk 1. Ramatoulaye goes on to reflect on her marriage to modou. Written through awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the unique french, so lengthy a letter has been famous as one among africas a hundred most sensible books of the 20 th century. People must be instructed, cultured and educated, so that things can advance stringer 1996.
The letter is occasioned by the sudden death of modou, ramatoulayes estranged husband. This 33page guide for so long a letter by mariama ba includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 27 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. It is written in the form of a long from one woman, ramatoulaye, to her. May 06, 2012 written by awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the original french, so long a letter has been recognized as one of africas 100 best books of the 20th century. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulaye fall. The book is basically a long series of mariama ba 19291982 was a senegalese novelist, teacher, activist and feminist. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a forty. The best study guide to so long a letter on the planet, from the creators of. Mariama bas novel consists of so long a letter that newly widowed ramatoulaye writes to her good friend, aissatou. Its theme is the condition of women in western african society.
The fact that this novel takes the form of a long letter to a friend helps a great deal. So long a letter characters from litcharts the creators. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Aissatous decision to leave her husband after he takes a second wife is a clearly feminist act. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscences some wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese schoolteacher. So long a letter by mariama ba is a novel written in the form of a long letter addressed by ramatoulaye fall to aissatou ba. This novel is in the form of a letter, written by the widowed ramatoulaye and describing her. Waveland press so long a letter by mariama ba translated. Ramatoulaye expresses how her husband modou decided to marry a second wife, binetou, who was her daughters classmate. Mariama ba and flora nwapa are examined through their works such as so long a letter and one is enough. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by. She cannot understand what led him to lose interest in her.
I chose this story is because i have been married to a nigerian for the past fourteen years, and i can remember all the horrible stories i was told of why i should not marry him. So long a letter character descriptions for teachers. Download so long a letter by mariama ba pdf lagranja. Award for the novella, so long a letter, in which she said. Ramatoulaye belongs to the generation that grew up under the read full character analysis aissatou is ramatoulaye s old childhood friend, and the addressee of her letter. So long a letter by mariama ba i was supposed to read so long a letter for the classic feminist literature challenge back in january, but the library didnt have any copies and it took me a while to get around to procuring one through amazons used booksellers. M k 1 role of women in so long a letter by mariama ba african society, in general, is a masculine society. Mariama bas so long a letterand the educational empowerment.
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