Revisiting Nicole Brossard: Québécois Feminist Subjectivity in the 21st Century

In her metafictive autobiographical essay, _She Would Be the First Sentence of My Next Novel_, Nicole Brossard establishes the temporal parameters of the "écriture au féminin" movement in Québec as 1975-1982. As Peggy Kelly notes, Brossard added the "au" to the French term l'écriture féminine with the effect of stressing agency in "a conscious assertion of feminine subjectivity." Correspondingly, in her work from this period, Brossard emphasizes the necessity of simultaneously inserting Woman into the symbolic order and women into urban space. It is no accident that Brossard dates the end of the movement in the year that saw the publication of her book _Picture Theory_, which Alice Parker has called "a tour de force that could have no sequel." Despite the apparent demise of the movement, the work of Brossard's écriture au féminin period continues to provoke compelling critical debate. Submissions on the following questions are invited for a special feature in the online journal How2: http://www.departments.b
ucknell.edu/stadler_center/how2
Does the ontological project of inserting Woman into the symbolic order succeed or fail? Does the universalism of the construct "Woman" result in insensitivity to differences of race and class, and if so, can it be redeemed? Does subversion of literary conventions constitute efficacious feminist praxis? Why have Brossard's later prose works become more representational? What new and productive constellations can be discerned in her work among concepts such as: space, city, utopia, subjectivity, discourse, lesbian desire, representation and innovation? And, finally, does the contemporary generation of Québécois women writers extend, ignore, or fail to understand this earlier literary movement? These guidelines offer suggestions only; contributors should feel welcome to submit groundbreaking work on Brossard that explores alternative questions.

Submissions of 2500-5000 words should be sent electronically as Microsoft Word documents to the feature's co-editors by March 1, 2004: Dr. Jodi Lundgren (jlundgren_at_cariboo.bc.ca) and Dr. Kelly-Anne Maddox (kmaddox_at_cariboo.bc.ca).

Papers will be written in English, with quotations translated into English. Citations from the original French text in endnotes are preferred. When possible, the official translations should be used. Double space submissions in Times New Roman 12 point font. Include surname and page number in the top right hand corner of each page. Parenthetical citations and Works Cited should follow the MLA format. Please provide name, institutional affiliation and a brief biographical note on a separate sheet.

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Received on Sat Dec 20 2003 - 19:14:21 EST