Françoise Mallet-Joris by Susan Petit (review)

144Women in French Studies Ernaux's Unefemme (1987) andJe ne suispas sortie de ma nuit (1997), Marrone examines the problematic writing and rewriting ofthe self. Female Journeys creates a framework in which to examine disparate forms of women's life writing and places them in the context of current theoretical perspectives. The extensive bibliography will prove useful to anyone working in the areas of life writing and feminist criticism and the index is particularly comprehensive . The primary strengths ofMarrone's study include the bringing to the fore the works of Belgiojoso and Mogador and placing them in a continuum of women's writing. At times, however, the discussion in the briefcritical introduction seems unfocussed and parts two and three ofthe study go over much more familiar ground in too much detail. Nonetheless, Female Journeys takes us further along the road to understanding the wide variety of women's experiences and their struggle to find" the words to say it." Edith J. BenkovSan Diego State University Petit, Susan. Françoise Mallet-Joris. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2001. Collection Monographique Rodopi XXXVII. Pp 158. ISBN: 90-420-1216-1. $23.00. In her knowledgeable critical study of Françoise Mallet-Joris's works, Susan Petit successfully demonstrates the diverse talent ofthe Belgian-born writer. The book is well-structured and concise yet rich in its analysis of the themes recurring in Mallet-Joris's novels, essays, short stories and biographies. Petit's broad acquaintance with Mallet-Joris's corpus allows her to engage in stimulatingcomparativeanalyses andenableshertopaintaportrait-puzzle, revealingthe author one literary piece at a time. The organization in six chapters, ofroughly equal length, guides the reader through the maturation ofthe author as a writer and person. Chapter 1, titled "An Apprenticeship," covers the period from 195 1 to 1958. Mallet-Joris is twenty-one when she publishes her first novel, Le rampart des béguines, followed in 1955 by La chambre rouge. These early works focus on problems of identity, relationships and sexuality. Unlike the first two works, Cordelia is a compilation of short stories, portraits or vignettes staging various personality traits. In Les Mensonges, the author offers a true class study à la Zola, revealing the rampant unhappiness ofa wealthy Belgian family. Chapter 2 covers the decade from 1958 to 1968. Titled "Fiction ofIndependence ," it analyzes a major novel, L 'empire céleste, which won the Prix Fémina, and two other works: Les signes et les prodiges and Trois âges de la nuit. Petit observes the particular attention the author gives to female characters from different time periods, as well as the fact that Mallet-Joris's interest lies more in their psychological study than the historical factors which may have governed their lives (44). The third chapter, "Biography and Autobiography," focuses on issues of faith, mysticism andreligious vocation. The works fromthe period ranging roughly from 1960 to 1980 are more personal and reflect Mallet-Joris's confrontation with individual choices. Through the stories of famous figures such as Marie Mancini (Marie Mancini, Ie premier amour de Louis XlV), Jeanne Guyon, or a Book Reviews145 contemporary singer, Marie-Paule Belle, as well as inmore autobiographicalpieces such as Lettre à moi-même, Mallet-Joris explores the important issues ofchoices between family and work, conflicts between romantic or sexual relationships and personal integrity, and tensions between creative freedom and morality. As the author matures, her search for a spiritual dimension becomes ofparamount importance in order to avoid, as she states in Lettre moi-même, the unacceptable alternative: «flotter dans l'absurde» (293). Under the title "Fiction ofSelf-Discovery", Petit has grouped five novels: Le jeu du souterrain (1973), Allegra (1976) and Dickie-Roi (1979), Un chagrin d'amour et d'ailleurs (1981) and a book ofshort stories, Le clin d'oeil de l'ange (1983). The first novel borrows heavily on Mallet-Joris's personal story and, if not an autofiction, is a reflection on the art ofwriting and the choices any author must make when telling a story. The second novel, Allegra, explores the world of women and insists on the role of culture and family on their destinies. MalletJoris 's quest for an understanding ofher selfhood and humanity reveals itselfas the guiding...