Oral Presentations: UC 332
Dépaysement
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Robert Stubblefield
Abstract / Artist's Statement
A friend once explained to me a French word that does not exist in English. The word is dépaysement, which means, quite literally, to be “uncountried.” To experience dépaysement is to be disoriented in a different country—something that I experienced firsthand while studying abroad in France last semester. It made me call into question both my identity and my nationality, and inspired me to draw upon some of that experience and channel it into a creative piece. My project is a novella titled Dépaysement; it is a fictional work featuring an American protagonist named Jack who is living abroad. Dépaysement explores the eternal question of identity as Jack tries to come to terms with hers: as a woman, as a foreigner, and as a person who is apart from loved ones back home. While my time in France plays a heavy role thematically in my novella, the narrative is purely imagined. Dépaysement is thus a reconciliation of memory and fiction, seeking above all to resonate with the reader and perhaps even lead them to consider their own place in the world.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
Dépaysement
UC 332
A friend once explained to me a French word that does not exist in English. The word is dépaysement, which means, quite literally, to be “uncountried.” To experience dépaysement is to be disoriented in a different country—something that I experienced firsthand while studying abroad in France last semester. It made me call into question both my identity and my nationality, and inspired me to draw upon some of that experience and channel it into a creative piece. My project is a novella titled Dépaysement; it is a fictional work featuring an American protagonist named Jack who is living abroad. Dépaysement explores the eternal question of identity as Jack tries to come to terms with hers: as a woman, as a foreigner, and as a person who is apart from loved ones back home. While my time in France plays a heavy role thematically in my novella, the narrative is purely imagined. Dépaysement is thus a reconciliation of memory and fiction, seeking above all to resonate with the reader and perhaps even lead them to consider their own place in the world.