Triumph over Silence: the Feminist Conquest of Ernauxian Literature

Keywords: Annie Ernaux, silence, writing, freedom, literature, commitment, feminism

Abstract

The Nobel Prize jury that awarded Annie Ernaux in 2022 praised “the courage and clinical sharpness with which she reveals the roots, distances, and collective obstacles of personal memory.” These distances and collective barriers are evident in an issue that has historically been more than a hindrance for women: the silence imposed on them as an additional layer of the restrictions they were forced to accept. Women were confined to the private and family sphere, governed by men, and prohibited from speaking or expressing themselves. This analysis will examine several of Ernaux’s works (Ce qu’ils disent ou rien, La femme gelée, Passion simple, Se perdre, L’Occupation, and especially L’Événement) to uncover the writer’s rebellion against these taboos surrounding feminine topics. Through her writing, Ernaux has broken this imposed silence, asserting her voice in a way that has contributed to the liberation of herself and of women more broadly.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
View citations

Crossmark

Metrics

Published
2024-12-19
How to Cite
Sueza Espejo M. J. (2024). Triumph over Silence: the Feminist Conquest of Ernauxian Literature. Thélème. Revista Complutense de Estudios Franceses, 39(2), 203-211. https://doi.org/10.5209/thel.94864
Section
Dossier monographique