Écriture féminine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Écriture féminine, literally women's writing, is a philosophy that promotes women's experiences and feelings to the point that it strengthens the work. Helene Cixous first uses this term in her essay, "The Laugh of the Medusa," in which she asserts, "Woman must write her self: must write about women and bring women to writing, from which they have been driven away as violently as from their bodies."

Écriture féminine places experience before language, and privileges the non-linear, cyclical writing so often frowned upon by patriarchal society. For Cixous, ecriture feminine is not only a possibility for female writers, rather, she believes it can be (and has been) employed by men such as James Joyce.

Écriture féminine was especially well developed by French and other European feminists. At the present time, écriture féminine is a major discipline in schools and universities of English-speaking countries.

Helene Cixous, Monique Wittig, Luce Iragaray and Julia Kristeva were major proponents of the movement.

[edit] External links

• "The Laugh of the Medusa" Resource Page
• Writing the Body: Toward an Understanding of l'Écriture féminine
• Strategies of Difference and Opposition by Elmer G. Wiens. Hélène Cixous' writing strategy of écriture féminine.