Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines the representation of the female fertility cycle in contemporary Algerian, Mauritian, and French women’s writing. It focuses on menstruation, childbirth, and the menopause whilst also incorporating experiences such as miscarriage and abortion. This study frames its analysis of contemporary women’s writing by looking back to the pioneering work of the second-wave feminists. Second-wave feminist texts were the first to break the silence on key aspects of female experience which had thus far been largely overlooked or considered taboo. Second-wave feminist works have been criticised for applying their ‘universal’ theories to all women, regardless of their ethnicity, socio-economic status, or sexuality. This book argues that contemporary women’s writing has continued the challenge against normative perceptions of the body that was originally launched by the second-wave feminists, whilst also taking a more nuanced, contextual and intersectional approach to corporeal experience. The cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach of this book is informed not only by critics of the second-wave feminist movement but also by sociological studies which consider how women’s bodily experiences are shaped by socio-cultural context.
Trade Review"This is an outstanding book. It builds upon existing scholarship on the representation of women’s bodies and life stages to generate new understandings of an important topic. The theoretical framework is articulated astutely and brought to bear upon literary texts in sensitive and innovative ways. Its cross-cultural comparison adds a richness to its argument. This will be essential reading for researchers in French and Francophone literatures, women’s writing and gender studies."
Natalie Edwards, The University of Adelaide
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
1. Problematising a ‘universal’ female bodily experience: The second-wave feminists and their critics
2. Violence, Trauma and Medicalisation: The female fertility cycle in women’s writing from France
3. Islam, Politics, and Education: Framing the female fertility cycle through an Algerian perspective
4. Multiculturalism and the legacy of colonialism: The female fertility cycle in Mauritian women’s writing
Conclusion
