The Postcolonial Little Prince: A Comparative Analysis of Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince and Other Works

Abstract

This study sets out to investigate the underlying colonial overtones in Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. A comparative analysis of The Little Prince along with other writings of Saint-Exupéry's, especially his Wind, Sand and Stars, suggests that this story is a reimagining of certain incidents which Saint-Exupéry recounted in his biographical works, here revised and given symbolic metamorphosis. This paper identifies these transmutations and, through analysis of the symbolic structure of the story, explains how French imperialist and orientalist sentiments are manifested in this story, set against the socio-political climate of the North African region in the early twentieth century. The investigation draws upon theoretical discussions by Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, among others; meanwhile, I try to underline the ambivalent nature of both orientalist and humanist tendencies in Saint-Exupéry's works. The findings of this article indicate, yet again, the paramount importance of the postcolonial approach to canonical children's literature, which can help open a new dialogue through which power structures and transcendental humanistic claims in children's literature could be scrutinised.