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CONSTRUCTIONSOFGENDERANDGENRE INCHANTALCHAWAF'SRETABLE-LAREVERIE By ELIZABETHI. DROPPLEMAN OFATDHEISSUENRITVAERTSIIOTNYPORFESEFNLTOERDIDATOITNHEPAGRRTAIADLUATFEULFSICLHLOOMLENT OFTHEREDQOUCITROERMEONFTSPHFIOLROSTOHPEHYDEGREEOF UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA 1999 Copyright1999 by ElizabethDroppleman . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thisdissertationcouldnothavebeenrealizedwithout thegenerosityofmanyindividuals. Iamespeciallygrateful tothecommitteeChair, Dr. WilliamCalin, andthemembers of thesupervisorycommittee, Dr. JohnLeavey, Dr. Carol Murphy, Dr. OfeliaSchutte, andDr. GayleZachmann, forthe expertadviceanddirectionthatmadepossiblethe completionofthisproject. Special thanks is inorderfor Dr. GayleZachmann'stirelessworkwithmeonthegenesisof this study; herextraordinarycommitmenttomentoring studentshasprovidedmewithamodel that Iwill striveto emulate TheCollegeofLiberalArtsandSciences' awardofa ThreadgilDissertationFellowshipandtheDepartmentof RomanceLanguagesandLiteratures' awardofaNancyKaufmann Scholarshipforstudyabroadprovidedgeneroussupportof whichIamappreciative. Finally, I cannotpossiblyhowfullymyfamily (Mom, Dad, Susan, Jackie, John, Richard, Timothy, Taylor, Ellen), friends (Joe, Judy, Kristy, Xandria, Jeannine, Val, Bill, Hutch), andWaynehavesupportedmethroughthisendeavor. I continuetobemovedbytheirgiftsofunfailing encouragementandlove. Thisdissertationisdedicatedto MaryLutzandIreneMurphyinremembranceof thepast, and tothefutureofEllen, Alexa, andourgirlstocome. TABLEOFCONTENTS page ACKNOWLEGMENTS iii ABSTRACT v INTRODUCTION 1 Notes 12 CHAPTERONE. MIMICRYANDPERFORMATIVITY 15 GNCSoeoetnxnTRReducheesaelerrlrueesaaMiP(ddioeIiirnrnnnr)fggoDorirPFfmlrafaaenetdturiodevMniictmeye,tiRsemperesentationandMatter 22413560875147 CHAIPNTERRETTAWBOL.E-GLOAINRGEVAEGRAIIENSTFICTION: PARATEXTANDPARODY 67 GTNCPPoiroeattovrrelseiasertstseeexxsAttrsatendandCoAnusttorfuiccttiioonn .'.'.''.''.[1098778569504 CHARPETVEERRITEHREE. MIMICRY: QUESTANDDREAMINRETABLE-LA_._1m08 Resume NRLoaettMNDPeaRaoaosbeucirlvsusteemorsrelaainienettece(I) ....._'.._"'..._11111114471551227017 CONCLUSION 174 Notes i82 REFERENCES 183 BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 195 oAfbstthreacUtniovferDsiiRstesyqeuriotrfaetmFielonontrsiPdrafeosrienntthPeeadrtDtieoaglrteheFeuloGffrialdlumaetnetSocfhotohle Doctorof Philosophy CONSTRUCTIONSOFGENDERANDGENRE INCHANTALCHAWAF'SRETABLE-LAREVERIE By ElizabethI. Droppleman May, 1999 MCahajiorrmaDne:parWtimlelnita:mRC.omaCnacleinLanguagesandLiteratures Chantal Chawaf'sdazzlingcombinationsofwords, images andmetaphors forgenewpossibilities forconceptualizing thebody, particularlythefemalebody. Nonetheless, she remainsacontroversial figureamongfeministandliterary criticswhoinsistthattraditionalarchetypesofwomanand establishedliteraryconventioncontaminateheravant-garde practiceofecriturefeminine ("femininewriting"). In "ConstructionsofGenderandGenre," Iarguethat Chawaf'sexcessivedisplaysofgenderandliterary conventioninthenovelRetable-lareverieformanintegral partofhermimeticstrategy. This strategyentailsa hyperbolicperformanceofgenderandgenrenormsthat actuallyparodies them. Underminingthenormsof literary andgenderconvention, herparodyalsosubverts thevalues that supportandsustainthem. RereadingRetable-lareveriethroughtheopticofa feministmimeticstrategysheds lightonChawaf'spoeticand narrativetactics, aswellashermarginalplaceamong s practitionersofecriturefeminine. Ineffect, hernovelis aquintessential exampleofthisradicalpractice. Itnot onlysubvertstraditional literaryandgenericnorms, it operateswithin, yetagainst, theestablishmentofecriture feminineitself toexposeandexpandtheboundariesofthis avant-gardewritingpractice. DrawingfromLuce Irigaray'spracticeoftextual mimicryandJudithButler's theoryofgenderperformativity, ChapterOnelaysthetheoreticalgroundworkforthestudyof Chawaf'smimetic strategy. ChapterTwoexaminestheconstructionofthenovel throughparatextual elements rangingfromitsmaterial borders--coverart, titles, headings--tothesymbolicfigure ofthewombthat symbolizestheethicaldimensionof Chawaf'secriture feminine. Hermaternalmetaphorprovidesa representationofradicallydifferentself/otherrelations: ashiftinthestruggleforidentityfromaparadigmof dominance/subordinationtomutual recognition. Aclosereadingof thenarrative, ChapterThreetraces howthestereotypesofMotherandWomanaresubversively reiteratedas theyarerepeatedinthenarrative. Retable-la reveriecreatesanimaginativeperformanceof sexual reborderizationthat isconstantlynegotiatedthrough Chawaf'swritingofthebody. Whetherstrategicallyusing mythsofWomanorboundarymarkersofgenre, Chawaf' practiceofecriture feminineremains faithful tothe subversionofestablishedconvention, andpresentsand exampleparexcellenceof innovativeavant-gardewriting. INTRODUCTION Combiningstartlingsensuous imageswithflowing lyricalprose, contemporaryFrenchnovelist, playwright, poet, andphilosopherChantalChawaf standsasadistinctive literaryfigureatthis fin-de-siecle. Whileacknowledgedby someasoneofthemore inventive, experimentalwritersof thiscentury,1shecontinuestherebellious Frenchliterary traditionofwriterswhoviewfictionasapowerful formof socialandpolitical resistance. PraisingChawaf's literarytalents, hercritics emphasizethatherdazzlingcombinationsofwords, images, andmetaphors forgenewpossibilities forconceptualizing thebody, particularlythefemalebody. Nonetheless, she remainsapolemical figureamongfeministliterarycritics whodismisshertexts forreifyingtraditionalwaysof thinkingaboutgenderandsex. It is significantthat, on theonehand, shehasbeenrelativelyneglectedoutsidethe circlesof feminist criticism, andthat, withinthese circles, somefaultherfornotapparentlyadheringtothe generallyacceptedideological aestheticsof themovement. Hersubversivepracticeseemsdeeplyflawedtofeminist criticswhoenterhertexts searchingforradical innovation, yet findthere, onbothphilosophicaland literarylevels, theverymasculinistnormstheywishedto , . escape. Togiveformtoherfemalecharacters, shedraws fromastereotypicallyfemalebiologicalandmaterial registerofmoundsof flesh, mucus, andmother'smilk. This intenseembodiment is interpretedasasignoftheir inherentpowerlessness. Controversial forshocking sensibilitiesandtransgressingliterarypropriety, her corporealpoeticsprovokes strong, eJfenvisceral, reactions.2Toagreaterextentthanhercontemporaries, she isblamedforhavingsoexplicitly "tiedthepracticeof femininewritingtothebiological factofmotherhood" (Suleiman, "WritingandMotherhood" 370) Viewedas fundamentallycontradictoryinformand content, Chawaf's innovativelinguisticmanipulationissaid tobreakwithnormativeconvention. Yet, addingfuel tothe chargesofessentialism, hernovelscontinuetorelyupon polarized, socially "fixed" stereotypes: themasculine symbolizingthemind, the intelligible, culture, activity, light; thefeminineas thebody, the irrational, the sensible, nature, passivity, obscurity (224). Such masculinistarchetypesofwoman, critics insist, contaminate heravant-gardepracticeofecriturefeminine. AsBosshard remarks hrc1yee'ppaefaqrruftetrirosonnpothuedismaenessnmtonddteedrsees1'nrtpaouelterlrsseeos.nvnicaro(giu2lep2s3sl)esdf'eumcnihnaiwcnaosfteieetnestmaf.secm.uiln.iinncss',est Evenifherpoetic styleaimstorepresent thebodyin innovativeways, herwritingreiteratesanunenlightened paradigmofwoman'snature incritics' views. Likethe VirginMaryandDante'sBeatrice, herfemale figuresare oftenlikenedtothebountifulMotherEarth: closerto naturethanmales, andamediumofaccessthroughwhichman cancommunicatewithhigherspiritual forces. Inthis paradigmit seems thatwomanfunctionsonlyinrelationto man; passive, sheservesonlyinhisquest forself- knowledge. Reflector, supporter, and "nurturerofthemale ego" appearstobetheonlyroleplayedbyChawaf'swomen, ValerieHannaganobserves (183). Aimingatafeministvisionofharmoniousrelations betweenmenandwomen, theserelations inChawaf'sworld, it hasbeenargued, areparadoxicallyoftenmarkedbya depressivetoneandmarkedbythefailureofherfemale protagonists toescapetheiralienation, as inRetable-la reverieandL'Interieurdesheures. Howcouldtherepetition of suchstereotypesunderminebinarylogicandputinto questionthesymbolicexclusionof thefeminine? It cannot, Bossharddecides: "labipolarisationdesetresensexe masculinet sexefemininpersiste" (223). Intheend, the promiseherwritingholds forenvisagingnewmale/female relationsremainsunfulfilled, Hannaganargues. Sheconveys thegeneralopinionsuccinctly: Chawaf's "textualbodyis richinsymptoms, butultimatelytheredemptionit seeksto achieve is firmlygroundedinthe statusquo" (190). ThecontradictoryreceptionofChawaf'swork, largelyamong Americanfeminist critics, canbeexplained, inpart, bythe riseofthephilosophicalessentialist critiqueduringthe s 1970sand1980s. Now, however, theessentialist/ constructivistdichotomyisbeingrethought.3Analliance withsexualdifferencehasbeenseenasafoundationalmove, insteadof takingintoaccount thesocial constructionist aspectofFrenchfeminist thought. InBodiesThatMatter. ButlerproposesthatthetraditiontowhichIrigaraybelongs ultimatelychallengestheessentialist/constructivist dichotomyatthebasisofmuchfeministpractice. Chawaf' workcanalsobereadthroughsuchaperspective. Rather thansettinglimits toconceptualizationsof sexuality, its purpose, Ipropose, ultimatelyservestoput intoquestion thefoundationsandboundariesofdiscoursesonsexuality. Furthermore, theanti-establishment tenet asthe impetus fordiversepracticesofecriturefemininehasoften beenoverlooked. Therubricecriturefemininegroups togetheraneclecticcorpusoftextsbyradical female intellectualswritingfromtheearly1970stothepresent.* Jadedbytheirmalecounterparts intherevolutionof 1968, theseauthors initiatedtheirownrevolt; theypurloinedthe intellectual andliteraryweaponsofthis still too conventionalpeergroupwhosemodusoperandiwasgroundedin thequestioningofall establishedconvention. HeleneCixous coinedthephraseecriturefeminineinherfamous 1976 manifesto "LeRiredelameduse," whichunderscoresthe massiveattackbehindthispracticeaimedat the foundation ofmasculine-biasedinstitutions: Untextefemininnepeutpasnepasetreplusque subversif: s'il s'ecrit, c'estensoulevant,