The growth and richness of various forms of intimate writing in France, along with the blossoming of recent feminist theories on personal writing, represent major developments in the realm of feminist literary studies. This course seeks to explore and analyze the diverse forms and poetics of writing one's self in France, such as those practiced by many contemporary women writers. To accomplish this, we will draw upon feminist theories addressing personal writings and female subjectivity. In the analysis of the texts under study, special attention will be given to textual strategies that emphasize the connections between intimate writing and the agency of the female subject, i.e., her capacity to act on and within her social, political, and cultural context through writing. While the literary texts in the program are from the end of the 20th century, the theories examined will offer valuable contributions to the study of any intimate text, regardless of its publication date.

Students from other graduate programs may submit assignments in English with approval of the instructor.