Susan Bainbrigge

Much has been written on Simone de Beauvoir, one of France's leading intellectual figures of the 20th century. The sheer volume of her autobiographical writings testifies to her indefatigable questioning of the nature of existence and her personal and public engagement in the world over the best part of a century. This study aims to re-evaluate her extensive autobiographical oeuvre, exploring its place in relation to the French autobiographical canon, and in the light of recent theorisations of autobiography. It presents readings which engage critically with existentialism, feminist theory, and autobiography studies generally, in particular focusing on the question of 'autothanatography', a term developed by theorists such as Jacques Derrida and Louis Marin. A new reading of the autobiographies via the lens of thanatos is presented with questions of gender in mind, and the nature of autobiography as genre is also explored more fully with particular attention paid to narrative voice. Close readings of the autobiographical oeuvre combine with contextual details, critical overviews and links to recent developments in critiques of Beauvoir's fiction and philosophy. The study would be of particular interest to scholars in the following areas: 20th century French literature and culture; Autobiography studies; Literary theory; existentialism; Women's studies.

The Autobiographies of Simone de Beauvoir

Writing Against Death

A forum for postgraduates in French - Contributions are centred on the theme of 'le cycle' from different literary, political and cinematic perspectives.

Ricochets

Dialogues 1

Joy Charnley

Caroline Verdier

Comment aborder la littérature des espaces francophones européens en dehors de la France ? Identité et/ou altérité ? Qu'en pensent les auteur-e-s concerné-e-s vis-à-vis de leur écriture ? Ce volume est issu du colloque qui a eu lieu à l'Université d'Edimbourg les 14 et 15 mars 2008, dont les objectifs étaient d'explorer les notions d'identité et d'altérité dans les espaces francophones européens, tout particulièrement en Belgique et en Suisse romande, sans oublier les écrivain-e-s qui sont en quelque sorte en exil par rapport à leur pays et/ou leur langue. Ce livre présente un éventail d'auteur-e-s et de textes, du 19e au 21e siècle, y compris Bovard, Brel, Cingria, Gevers, Michaux, Nothomb, Nougé, Plisnier ou encore Verhaeren sans oublier les écrivaines Anne-Lise Grobéty, Marie-José Piguet, Silvia Ricci Lempen et Elisa Brune présentes au colloque et qui ont participé à une table ronde retranscrite dans ce volume. Le domaine de la traduction est également représenté, pour étudier la façon dont les oeuvres sont traduites, parfois par l'auteur-e même. Les contributions viennent de nombreux pays, et les auteur-e-s sont tous/toutes réuni-e-s par la langue française et l'amour de la littérature francophone de tous horizons.

identité et altérité dans les espaces francophones européens

Francographies

Jeanette M. L. den Toonder

Since the publication of her first novel in 1992, Amélie Nothomb continues to engage and to provoke her readers through her exploration of the fluid boundaries between beauty and monstrosity, good and evil, fable and reality, as well as by her fascinating presentation of childhood, anorexia, and the abject. In Amélie Nothomb: Authorship, Identity and Narrative Practice, the first full-length study in English of Nothomb's work, these elements are presented and interpreted from a variety of perspectives, with the contributors focusing on a single novel or comparing different texts. Comprised of a collection of essays on her autobiographical and fictional works, with contributions from her anglophone translators, it also includes an interview with the author, a preface by the eminent writer and critic, Jacques de Decker and a bibliography of secondary works. Nothomb's works and the critical responses to them are contextualized in a general introduction and organized under the following key themes: autobiography and gender identity, representations of the body, and narrative practice. This collection is an essential resource for students and scholars of twentieth-century contemporary literature and gender studies.

Authorship, Identity, and Narrative Practice

Amélie Nothomb

Few full-length studies exist in English on French-speaking authors from Belgium. What, if any, are the particular features of francophone Belgian writing? This book explores questions of cultural and literary identity, and offers an overview of currents in critical debate regarding the place of francophone Belgian writing and its relationship to its larger neighbour, but also engages with broader questions concerning the classification of 'francophone' literature. The study brings together well-known and less well-known modern and contemporary writers (Suzanne Lilar, Neel Doff, Dominique Rolin, Jacqueline Harpman, Françoise Mallet-Joris, Jean Muno, Nicole Malinconi, and Amélie Nothomb) whose works share a number of recurring themes and features, notably a preoccupation with questions of identity and alterity. Overall, the study highlights the diverse ways in which these questions of cultural identity and alterity emerge as a dominant theme throughout the corpus, viewed through a series of literary and cultural frameworks which bring together perspectives both local and global.

Dialogue, Diversity and Displacement

Culture and Identity in Belgian Francophone Writing

Maren Scheurer

This collection of essays explores the ways in which talking therapies have been depicted in twentieth century and contemporary narratives (life-writings, fiction and poetry) in French. This vibrant corpus of francophone literary engagements of therapy has so far been widely unexplored, but it offers rich insights into the connections between literature and psychoanalysis. As the number of autobiographical and fictional depictions of the therapeutic encounter is still on the rise, these creative outputs raise pressing questions: why do narratives of the therapeutic encounter continue to fascinate writers and readers? What do these works tell us about the particular culture and history in which they are written? What do they tell us about therapeutic and other human encounters? The volume highlights the important role that the creative arts have played in offering representations and explorations of our minds, our relationships, and our mental health, or more pressingly, ill-health. The volume’s focus is not only on the patient’s experience as expressed via the creative act and as counterweight to the practitioner’s “case study”, but more specifically on the therapeutic encounter, specifically the relationship between therapist and patient. The contributors here engage with ideas and methodologies within contemporary psychoanalytic thought, including, but not limited to, those of Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein, André Green, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, and Donald Winnicott, highlighting the dynamic research culture that exists in this field and maintaining a dialogue between the humanities and various therapeutic disciplines. Narratives of the Therapeutic Encounter combines the analysis of psychoanalytic and fictional texts to explore the implications that arise from the space between the participants in therapy, including creative and aesthetic inspirations, therapeutic potentials, and ethical dilemmas.

Susan Bainbrigge

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