Female Journeys: Autobiographical Expressions by French and Italian Women (review)

Written by Claire Marrone, Female Journeys: Autobiographical Expressions by French and Italian Women is a meticulous study of the life narratives of six diverse European women from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This comparative study examines several autobiographical texts written by both marginal and canonical authors from France and Italy. The strengths of the book include Marrone’s attention to detail when defining each sub-genre of life writing, as well as her broad knowledge of the autobiographical tradition in Europe from the medieval period to the present day.

In the theoretical introduction, Marrone illustrates specifically how women’s autobiographical writing differs from works of their male counterparts. In addition, the volume articulates the relationship between gender and the multitude of sub-genres that fall within the category of life writing. In this way, Marrone makes a distinction between the traditionally male-dominated autobiographical genre known as bildungsroman and female-authored novels of formation. In addition, the volume explores and defines écriture féminine as well as the often neglected genre of women’s life writing known as awakening. Divided into three sections, the thematic organization of the book groups the six autobiographers in such a way as to allow for an original analysis and comparison of each text. In each segment, the themes of transition, change, and nomadism are explored as each writer finds herself leaving behind a nation, a family, or the mother.

In Part I: Leaving the Country, Marrone analyzes the nineteenth century autobiographical narratives of Princess Cristina Trivulzio di Belgiojoso and Elisabeth-Céleste Mogador, both of whom wrote about their extensive travels abroad. One of Italy’s first female journalists, Belgiojoso’s Souvenirs dans l’exil and Emina contain the narratives of the nomadic author’s time spent in the Middle East. Mémoires de Céleste Mogador and Un Deuil au bout du monde: Suite des Mémoires de Céleste Mogador represent the life of a former prostitute who became a prolific writer and a countess. The fairytale embedded within the narrative traces the author’s journey to selfhood as she travels from Europe to Australia.

Section II, entitled Leaving the Family, features the autobiographical expression of two twentieth-century Italian autobiographers. Sibilla Aleramo’s Una donna reveals several twentieth century feminist themes such as the challenge of balancing marriage, a career, and motherhood. Aleramo eventually leaves behind her husband and young son in order to pursue her independence and career as a writer. Oriana Fallaci’s Lettera a un bambino mai nato echoes many of Aleramo’s feminist themes. As the title suggests, the work is written by the single mother/author in the form of a letter to her unborn child. The text treats several feminist issues including single parenthood, abortion, and fertility.

The final segment, Leaving the Mother, continues the familial theme of the previous section through Marrone’s analysis of the life narratives of the twentieth century French authors Marie Cardinal and Annie Ernaux. The author’s painful separation from a troubled mother-daughter relationship is at the core of the autobiographical writings of both Cardinal and Ernaux. By writing the parent within literary space, the autobiographical daughter experiences personal and emotional healing.

Female Journeys: Autobiographical Expressions by French and Italian Women is an excellent addition to the fields of life writing, Women’s Studies, and French and Italian literary criticism. I highly recommend this book to scholars and students whose research focuses on autobiography and women’s writing.