An Image of Sheer Bliss: Stereotypes in Back To The Congo (Lieve Joris)

If literary journalism is indeed journalism, we should read it for what it promises: a truthful report of reality by an engaged writer. Back to the Congo, by Lieve Joris, does not appeal exclusively to our aesthetic appreciation, as is often the case for literature, but also functions in a social discourse where it is expected to report as honestly as possible on situations, opinions and perspectives. Reference to common knowledge and stereotypes is a basic condition for any kind of communication, and this can be used as a perspective from which to explore the dynamics of a story that aims to appeal and to report at the same time. By involving her own subjectivity, telling an engaging travel story with a surprising ending, showing the power of stereotypical images and tentatively suggesting means of dealing with them, Joris manages to present her readers with an appealing story about a complex world.

Publication year:2015

Accessibility:Closed