This book is a clear and accessible introduction to the writings of
Helene Cixous, novelist, dramatist and critic, whose work has had a
major impact on feminist theory and practice.
Susan Sellers, a major scholar on Cixous, provides a lucid
account of Cixous's theoretical position, and in particular her
distinctive theory of an 'écriture féminine'. She
discusses the development of Cixous's literary oeuvre in the
context of this theory, and analyses a selection of the works in
detail to illustrate the different stages in Cixous's writing
career.
Focusing on the key novels and plays, Sellers explores a range
of issues and themes central to her work; the correlation between
the death of Cixous's own father and her 'coming-into-being' as a
writer; the psychological process of separation and individuation
and the creation of a female authorial self; the discovery of the
other and the dramatization of love; the delineation/depiction of
an alternative form of relationship between self and other which
would have a significance in a wider sphere than that of the merely
personal.
This much-needed book will be welcomed by students in literature
and literary theory, feminism and women's studies, English and
French studies and philosophy.
Autorentext
Susan Sellers is a British author, translator, editor and novelist. She is Professor of English and Related Literature at the University of St Andrews, and co-General Editor of the Cambridge University Press edition of the writings of Virginia Woolf.
Zusammenfassung
This book is a clear and accessible introduction to the writings of Helene Cixous, novelist, dramatist and critic, whose work has had a major impact on feminist theory and practice.
Susan Sellers, a major scholar on Cixous, provides a lucid account of Cixous's theoretical position, and in particular her distinctive theory of an 'écriture féminine'. She discusses the development of Cixous's literary oeuvre in the context of this theory, and analyses a selection of the works in detail to illustrate the different stages in Cixous's writing career.
Focusing on the key novels and plays, Sellers explores a range of issues and themes central to her work; the correlation between the death of Cixous's own father and her 'coming-into-being' as a writer; the psychological process of separation and individuation and the creation of a female authorial self; the discovery of the other and the dramatization of love; the delineation/depiction of an alternative form of relationship between self and other which would have a significance in a wider sphere than that of the merely personal.
This much-needed book will be welcomed by students in literature and literary theory, feminism and women's studies, English and French studies and philosophy.
Inhalt
Preface.
Introduction.
1. The Early Texts.
2. Creating a Feminine Subject.
3. Writing with the Voice of the Other.
4. Cixous and the Theatre.
5. Recent Writings.
Conclusion.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.