A Critical Study Of The Images Of Women In Colette's Novels

Sidonie Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) stands as one of the most celebrated women writers that France has produced in the first half of the twentieth century. Colette passionately engages herself in her literary writings, whose language is fresh, smooth, and poetical. Widely celebrated, they have won numerous awards and honors, which establish her as an important figure in French literary history. The Colette scholarship, however, has remained stagnant for a long time. Numerous scholars believe that the relationship between Colette's literary creations and her personal living experiences is too close, which inevitably jeopardizes the value of her art. Yet the academia seems to neglect the influence that the writer's gender identity exerts on the themes of her artistic creation, and ways of representation.Woman has remained Colette's concern in her entire writing career. The images of women under her pen cover a wide spectrum of women in various significant stages of life. In her novels, Colette presents a vivid picture of women's living circumstances in France in the first half of twentieth century. They all reflect Colette's deep concern for women, as well as a profound sympathy and reflection on their living conditions. The female consciousness that Colette has projected in her works transcends the limitations of her age. Therefore, Colette's highly personalized writing style not only mirrors her rich life experiences, but also her sense of mission in history as a woman writer. Colette makes use of the powerful language in writing to articulate female subjectivity and construct female discourse authority, which is rare and commendable in France at her time.This paper comprises of four chapters, each of which subjects under scrutiny the most representative images of women in Colette's works in relation to the different crucial phases in a woman's life. It brings feminist thought to bear upon the analysis of the woman's living circumstances in different periods of life in the twentieth century, Colette's gender consciousness in narrating women, as well as her bold experimentation in female narratives. Chapter One focuses on the impact of socialization on female subjectivity during adolescence, a crucial period in the formation of subjectivity. The physiological changes in adolescence gradually establish the gender awareness in young boys and maidens, who in the meanwhile are increasingly forced to behave properly according to their gender identity. The school and family play a vital role in this process, In her novels about young girls, Colette pays meticulous attention to the conflict between a girl's subjectivity in adolescence and the social definition of her gender identity. By examining her four novels, Claudine a l'ecole, Claudine a Paris, Le Ble en herbe, and Gigi, this chapter endeavors to analyze the influence that society, school, and family exert on a girl's growing up, the gender differences in socialization, as well as the young girls' struggle and reconciliation when they face social order and traditional usage.Chapter Two investigates the metamorphosis that occurs in women in the male-dominant sexual relationship, from oppression, to the awakening and self-defending of the subjectivity. In a patriarchal society, marriage makes the sole reason for the existence of women, who become only accessories in the traditional marriage due to their financial subordination and spiritual subjugation. The physiological and mental differences between man and woman, in addition to the inequality in marriage inevitably lead to constant misunderstandings and conflicts. In such circumstance, escape seems the only choice left for them. In her novels, Colette not only endeavors to present the conflicts in the male-dominant family, but more importantly, to explore the deep social causes that underlie these conflicts. By probing into Claudine en menage, La Vagabonde and Duo, this chapter analyzes the women's living circumstances in the male-dominant family, their ways of departure, and their eventual fate.Chapter Three focuses on the mythical image of mother that Colette has created in her works and their significance. While displaying women's living circumstances in France at her time, Colette has been exploring all along an ideal female image in her works. Colette's mother Sido takes a prominent place in her childhood memories. She is also the central female image in all of Colette's works. Sido has gained rebirth in Colette's fictions and become elevated as a mythical mother. This chapter examines La Maison de Claudine, La Naissance du jour and Sido to demonstrate how Colette praises and identifies with Sido through the construction of mother myth. The last chapter studies how Colette achieves the discourse construction of female subjectivity. The depiction of various aspects of women's living circumstances in her novels bears out Colette's pursuit of women's self-speech. However, Colette does not confine herself to mere description of female experiences, but rather, combines her gender identity with narratives to assert women's own voice. By concentrating on Claudine a l'ecole, La Vagabonde, La Naissance du jour, Mistou and Cheri, this chapter attempts to analyze the gender consciousness reflected in the discourse of Colette's personal narrative and authorial narrative. Colette sticks consistently to female narrative voice in an attempt to battle against the dominant male discourse. She endeavors to make the female narrative voice the supreme authority in narration. In Colette's authorial narratives, the third-personal narration is patently gender-biased. Through the change of narrative point-of-view and psychological perspective, as well as a variety of forms to reveal characters' consciousness, Colette offers women in her works a lot more power of discourse. Here it is evident to see that Colette articulates and constructs female subjectivity and discourse authority in her gender narration.On the whole, Colette is consistently concerned with women in her literary creations. She undertakes a serious exploration into the living circumstances of women in the male-dominant society. Colette's works exhibit her deep concern for women, her challenge and criticism of the male-dominant ideology, as well as a great expectation that she cherishes for her contemporary women via creating an ideal female image. As a woman writer throughout her career, Colette keeps to the female narrative voice and incorporates her gender consciousness into the narratives, which evinces clearly her position on gender.