French Literature Reviews - 2026

Writing Rape (Hébert, Kristof, Schnitzler)
Comparative and World Literature

Rennie Yotova

Écrire le viol

Éditions Non-lieu

2007

ISBN: 978-2-352-70030-2

163p

15 €

Table of Contents:

INTRODUCTION

· The Impossible Comprehension of the Subject

· The Mythological Background

· A Few Historical Milestones
HATRED OF WOMEN: MISOGYNY AND RAPE

· Between Isis and Urania: The Oxymoron of Misogyny

· The Expiatory Writing of Rape in Anne Hébert's *Kamouraska* (*Les Fous de Bassan*)
THE MURDER OF THE FEMININE

THE TRIVIALIZATION OF RAPE: THE HELL OF GANG RAPE

TRACES OF RAPE: SOLITUDE AND REVOLT IN THE WORK OF NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE

FANTASIES OF RAPE

· Can Rape Be an Act of Love?

· Amélie Nothomb's *Cosmetology of Enemy*

· Rape as the Sublime Enjoyment of Death in Agota Kristof's *The Notebook*

· The Image of the Perverted Old Man in Arthur Schnitzler's *Casanova's Homecoming* and *Fräulein Else*

· Dr. Morgan's Sadistic Fantasies

· *The Black Dahlia*, a Terrifying Work of Art on Rape

The study of sexual violence within literature and art often intersects with broader inquiries into gendered power dynamics and the cultural construction of trauma. This work situates narratives of rape within a historical and mythological framework, tracing the evolution of misogynistic tropes from ancient archetypes to modern artistic expressions. Readers interested in the intersection of gender studies and narrative representation may find this comparative analysis of European and Francophone literature relevant.

Rennie Yotova's Écrire le viol examines the representation of rape in the works of various authors and artists, including Anne Hébert, Niki de Saint Phalle, Amélie Nothomb, Agota Kristof, and Arthur Schnitzler. The volume addresses themes such as the trivialization of rape, the presence of sadistic fantasies, and the depiction of violence in works like Kamouraska, Les Fous de Bassan, Cosmetology of Enemy, The Notebook, Casanova's Homecoming, Fräulein Else, and The Black Dahlia.