From otherness to eternal peace: an analysis of social and moral motherhood in Sœurette (1902), by Gyp

Abstract

Despite not being regarded as a feminist novel, in this study, we will analyze the gender background of Sœurette (1902), by the French playwright Gyp. To this end, we will delve into the message of protest that she stated regarding social and moral motherhood. Although these feminine practices did not emerge until 1920, the Breton novelist was already outlining them in the twilight of the nineteenth century. Thanks to Sœurette, the Countess of Martel will turn her most virtuous heroine into a counter model of reference, who embraces the behavioral parameters of both conceptions of motherhood to progressively adopt an antagonistic behavior to that dictated by the patriarchal discourse. Through this awareness-raising, which would be censored in its film version, we will scrutinize how Gyp inverts the moralizing principle of her work, proving to her female readers that others-centeredness should not be the backbone of their lives.