L’IMAGE DE LA FEMME DANS L’œUVRE

Abstract

The work of Annie Ernaux, one of the most important French woman writers of the 20th century, offers many images of women from different age, different social class and different situation through uncommon feminine topics such as abortion or female sexuality as well as scenes of social and sexual inequalities. On the one hand, Ernaux draws the picture of a single woman – herself – through her own trajectory of “social climbing” which she succeeds over time thanks to the education she received. On the other hand, she portrays the lives of other women stuck in their own social situation. She thus emphasizes that the condition of the woman does not improve in parallel with her social status. In this regard, the author’s mother provides a perfect example. The distinctive characteristic of Ernaux’s writing is that she can approach women in terms of their belonging to different social classes and compare the female condition within these different classes