New French Feminisms: An Anthology

by Elaine Marks (Editor), Isabelle De Courtivron (Editor)

Since 1968, feminist theory has been the subject of much serious intellectual inquiry in France. While the French are familiar with American feminist texts, the opposite is not true - American knowledge of French feminist writing is often limited to Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex," published in 1949. This anthology of NEW FRENCH FEMINISMS is an attempt to bridge that gap.

The editors have included over fifty selections of recent French feminist writing, most of which have never before been translated into English, and some of which have never been published in either French or English. The selections reflect the wide spectrum of theories comprising the French feminist movement. These theories complement the more pragmatic and empirical approach of American feminists, for they emphasize dialectical thought, psychoanalytic and linguistic theory, and the politics of language and culture.

The editors provide introductory essays that discuss the history of French discourses on feminism and analyze the post-1968 developments. They also supply a chronological table outlining both the major events of French history and those of the French feminist movement, as well as a bio/bibliography and a bibliography.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Theory, Philosophy, Gender, Academic, Womens

279 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Marcelle Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly, I'm very new to feminist theory, that is, hard theory. I've been privy to feminist arguments (from the contemporary American trends) for years now, but only recently did I see fit to sit down and read a feminist work from cover to cover. The recent temptation stemmed from a mission I've been taking to reconsider all points of view I'd previously rejected to see if there was anything salvageable in them. First, I went back and read Marx after briefly considering myself a liberal as opposed to a democratic socialist, and that worked out famously: communism and I have been inseparable ever since. Then there was queer theory, a tougher retreading, as I had lost several of my queer friends during the social justice heyday a few years ago because of some minor disagreements we had over ideological purity. Still, I found that queer theory slipped right back on like a well-used pair of shoes.

So how about feminism?

I knew I needed something distinctly un-American in order to get away from familiarity. Enter "New French Feminisms". Starting from de Beauvoir and expanding to her contemporaries was probably the easiest entry, as the sweet smell of Marxism and dialectical reasoning was heavy throughout. And I think it is right that Simone starts it off. She is an intellectual powerhouse and her arguments sound sharp and incisive even today. Julia Kristeva also has various contributions, and it is always wonderfully engaging to read her deconstructions of language and woman's relation to it. Generally, the authors in this book each provide very distinct and engaging writing styles and carry the reader through each topic with passion and creativity. There are Marxist-feminist critiques of capitalism, feminist critiques of Marxism, propositions of feminist materialism, excellent skewering of the conservative scientific thought of its era, powerful statements about abortion rights and defence of female abuse victims, and humorous mockery of philosophical seriousness of the worst kind.

The only criticism I could think of is that the book comes off as dated at certain points, and it should, being very much a product of the time of the various authors. There are arguments against pornography which sound almost like they could be used by Christian fundamentalists today; there are arguments about the division of the sexes and sex difference, which, while disputed by other feminists within the same text, are doubly ruined by the atomic bomb dropped on them by queer theory (which I personally consider the greatest successor to feminist theory), but that is my own prejudice, certainly; and of course, some of the issues spoken about in the book with gloomy prediction have since been so thoroughly solved that it comes off as mere pessimism to consider the words espoused by these authors. However, to the credit of the latter point, de Beauvoir did have the foresight to announce the probable conquest of feminism on these issues.

The reason I would still give this book five stars despite my criticisms is that, despite the dated views, the book never commits the crime of being boring. The ideas may have changed since then, but they feel fresh when you read them. The authors took great care to ensure that society believed these issues mattered, and that's a feat worthy of praise. This book should, without question, be read by those curious about feminism or about a different sphere of it. In case I haven't made this clear, feminism is not a monolith, and nowhere is that more apparent than here. There are several competing feminisms even within these pages, and it speaks to an admirable history of diverse and rigorous views which are still worthy of consideration.

[Kate Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A woman without a body, dumb, blind, can’t possibly be a good fighter." -Helene Cixous, "The Laugh of the Medusa"

This book contains French feminisms that are no longer new, but fascinating all the same.

The highlights of this volume are:

Helene Cixous' "The Laugh of the Medusa," which is an essay that a lot of people care about but which can be hard to find in print elsewhere. Extraordinary piece of writing -- poetry and theory all at the same time.

Christiane Rochefort's "Are Women Writers Still Monsters?" ("A man’s book is a book. A woman’s book is a woman’s book. A crowd of fathers-husbands-big brothers-lovers are watching, not our capacities as writers, but our behavior. We are allowed to write, OK. But not anything.")

An interview with film director Marguerite Duras (which contains a discussion of witches -- not the only one in the book)

Madeleine Gagnon's "Corps I" ("The phallus, for me at this time, represents repressive capitalist ownership, the exploiting bourgeois, the higher knowledge that must be gotten over; it represents an erected France that watches, analyzes, sanctions. The phallus means everything that sets itself up as a mirror. Everything that erects itself as perfection. Everything that wants regimentation and representation. That which does not erase/efface but covets. That which lines things up in history museums. That which constantly pits itself against the power of immortality.")

Xaviere Gautheir's "Porquoi Sorcieres?" (“We are not beautiful; we are not ugly; we are angry.”)

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a historical collection of writings this is interesting, especially in regards to the fact that the authors who appear in this anthology do not always agree with one another and issue sometime scathing critiques of certain ideas. For anyone grounded in intersectional feminist theory, there are multiple essays that will read as somewhat problematically as authors, like Simone de Beauvoir, make claims that the suffering women face is equivalent to the suffering experienced by enslaved American people of color. These bits can be somewhat difficult to get through, but there are some interesting pieces here, my favorite being Hermann's "Women in Space and Time."

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the variety of texts that contradict each other, so as an anthology it's great. I wish there was some more background on the authors maybe?
I loved the more literary texts, the one about witches was brilliant (even if I don't necessarily agree with it and the text right after it (don't remember the title) that demystifies women is closer to my own approach).
Some texts sound like a complete stream of consciousness with some keywords (we love phalllocracy and Freud references).

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at our early feminist roots.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

landmark text....still provides an historical record of a movement that continues to be blighted by misunderstanding