Reevaluating the ‘Masculine’ and ‘Feminine’: Patrick Chamoiseau’s “Kosto et ses deux enfants”

This article analyzes how Chamoiseau provokes new understanding of the “masculine” and “feminine,” socially and within literary convention, in his children’s tale, “Kosto et ses deux enfants.” Contrary to criticism often leveled against Chamoiseau as a patriarchal “masculinist,” this tale reevaluates masculinity and the role of caretaker in Antillean family. I examine how his representations of gender roles and family structure delegitimize this criticism, raising new questions about masculinity in Antillean societies. I analyze how, as children’s literature, this tale functions in establishing gender discourse in the Antilles.