The Coup (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Updike
- First Published: 1978
- Type of Plot: Political satire
- Time of Work: 1973, with flashbacks to 1954-1958
- Setting: The fictional African country of Kush and the fictional town of Franchise, Wisconsin
- Principal Characters: Colonel Hakim Félix Ellelloû, Kadongolimi, Candace (Candy), Sittina, Sheba, Kutunda, Michaelis Ezana, Edumu, Dorfû
- Genres: Long fiction, Satire, Political fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1970’s, Africa or Africans, Power, personal or social, Midwest, Kings, queens, or royalty, Rulers, Wit or humor
- Locales: Kush, Africa, Wisconsin
The Novel
To the benign dictator of Kush, his country is more a state of mind than a true nation. The Coup also shows that Colonel Hakim Félix Ellelloû sees himself in much the same way. Writing his memoirs while in exile in the south of France, Ellelloû attempts to understand both his native country and himself, alternately writing in the self-justifying first person and the more censorious third.
For the bulk of The Coup, the forty-year-old Ellelloû wanders in Kush, “this remotest and least profitable heart of Africa,” in various guises, trying to...
[The entire page is 1969 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
Related Topics
