Women's Words: Essay on French Singularity by Mona Ozouf
Mary Anne Garnett
232Women in French Studies husband, she is charged to oversee the defense of border, and hub around which her people cluster. Dhuoda sends son William this forceful selfportrait by allowing image shine forth text welding herselfand together weaving a verbal visual pattern means ofthe acrostic conspicuously naming herself. On November 30, 841, Duchess Uzès (a southern town about 25 km from Nimes 40 Avignon) wife ofBernard ofToulouse, Count ofBarcelona, Duke ofSeptimania, godson ofEmperor Louis Pious, began long letter William, day after his fifteenth birthday. In artful embellished motherly moral advice with acrostics verses, fanciful etymologies, grammatical gaming, numerologies capture hold reader. She wrote out offear as well love, forWilliam was danger since father Bernard had handed him over at battle Fontenoy ordered swear fealty 18-year-old Charles Bald, Charlemagnes's grandson future emperor. Dhuoda's alarms for werejustified seven years later he would revolt against eventually be slain. writes during period marked strife. The grandsons Charlemagne fought their shares empire while Vikings north Saracens south battered edges kingdom. Liber Manualis belongs religious intellectual movement court monastic scholars time who prodigiously sacred obligations ofkings, advised secular nobles Christian duties, hoped restore state virtuous peace through prayers, feats, liturgical reforms. While has often been called first treatise on childhood education, Marcelle Thiébaux' cleverly managed translation establishes importance feminist literary context. It tells poignant story Carolingian period, mother's outspoken bidding come into own householder seignorial lord ofhis great estate, personal chronicle dread an imminent loss. felicitous flowing prose skillfully translated lyric passages, artfully mask Latinate origins remaining faithful original text, permit reader smoothly enter realm convictions fears, readily discover central tenet ofher writing. Ultimately, Handbook endures voice grave, mirrored image, likeness self, name book words. Thierry BoucqueyScripps College, Claremont University Center MonaOzouf. Women's Words: Essay Singularity. Trans. Jane Marie Todd. Chicago Press, 1997. 300 pp. ISBN: 0-226-64333-6. Readers interested historical differences between American feminisms will welcome Todd's ofLes mots desfemmes: essai sur la singularitéfrançaise Mona Ozouf, critic Le Nouvel Book Reviews233 Observateur former director ofresearch Centre National de Recherche Scientifique. Women s Words polemical work that seeks explain "singularity " ofFrench feminism, according Ozoufis characterized its moderation relatively slow rate ofwomen's political enfranchisement achievement ofequality before law. To illustrate "French path" toward Ozouf devotes bulk portraits admittedly exceptional women: Mme du Deffand, Charrière, Roland, Staël, Rémusat, George Sand, Hubertine Auclert, Colette, Simone Weil, Beauvoir. Each portrait identifies distinguishing feature ofits subject highlighted chapter title, e.g.. "Hubertine, or Stubbornness," "Aurore, Generosity," "Gabrielle, Gluttony ." Indeed, Ozoufviews these women "figures Roman rose, gracious allegories distinct, times antagonistic, virtues" (xv). Despite very different life experiences personalities, "disparate pearls ofa necklace" are linked several threads, including faith girls' education fact "each more less spoke others" (xvi). Moreover, united way...
Women in French Studies