Marie Cardinal: A Retrospective
Organised in Association with the Centre for Gender Studies in Europe
The University of Sheffield, UK: January 10-12 2003
A best-seller in France and abroad, Marie Cardinal's self exploration in literature continues to strike a cord with many readers. Actress, philosopher and social campaigner, Cardinal has described the subject matter of her texts as death, dream and happiness. However, it was her disrespect of social taboos and recognition of the liberatory power of words which has ensured that Cardinal's contribution to feminism and French literature cannot be ignored. The initiative of this conference is to explore a diverse range of themes related to Cardinal's life and writing. What impact did Cardinal's texts have on the 1970s feminist movement? What relevance do her texts have today? What is her position in relation to French women's writing and the French literary tradition in general?
Themes under discussion might include:
- Autobiography and fiction
- The couple
- The development of Cardinal's oeuvre
- The mother/daughter relationship
- The reception of Cardinal's texts
- Writing and rebirth
- Motherhood and creativity
- The abject
- Postcolonial voices
- Le vague et le réglé
To submit an abstract (around 300 words by 31 August 2002) or to register for the conference please contact:
Dr Emma Webb
Department of French
The University of Sheffield
Sheffield
United Kingdom
S10 2TN
Email: e.webb@sheffield.ac.uk
Telephone: (+44) 0114 2222869