French Literature Reviews - 2026
Thibaut Casagrande, Féminités spectaculaires. Figures de l'actrice dans le roman français et américain (1946-2013)
Comparative and World Literature
In the 20th century, the literary fortune of actress characters experienced a new resurgence alongside the rise of cinema. Across a variety of novels, this figure explores femininity as a 'spectacular gender' (Judith Butler), the relationship between words and images, and the identity between the self and its various reflections.
In the 20th century, the literary fortune of actress characters experienced a new resurgence alongside the rise of cinema. Across a variety of novels, this figure explores femininity as a spectacular gender, drawing on theoretical frameworks concerning performativity, the relationship between words and images, and the identity between the self and its various reflections.
Readers interested in modern fiction, gender representation, and the cultural intersections of literature and performance may find this study relevant. The material engages with works that reflect upon the conditions of performance and the construction of femininity in contemporary culture through focused readings of novels that place the theatrical figure at the center of their narrative investigations.