Feminism and critical sources…plus, notes on a novel…

I want to speak a bit about two writers from the Second Wave of feminism here — both French and scholars.  One was my teacher…

First, Helene Cixous — who is a philosopher?  This is a great book and will give you an overview from the perspective of late 70’s Second Wave.

What she talks about is the “voice” and power of that voice?

Also the body as lived feminist experience?

Here is her wiki:

Hélène Cixous

Here is Ginette Paris, a really fab teacher and lecturer…

Dr. Ginette Paris, Depth Psychologist

So,  these women were already adults in the late 70’s —?  Living the feminist reality of those times.

Tail end Baby Boom feminism has been lived out in the 80’s and 90’s?

Our experiences are very different based on the times.

We used a lot of literature in my school to illustrate themes?  Also classical mythology.  Paris is a specialist on that.

Some of you might have read that chapter from yesterday out of my own novel.  But, the “therapist” me is guiding the writing?

So, what I was writing about are abandonments and the alchoholic family system?  Because I believe in using text as truth for a mythos of how feminsim was lived by my own gen.  I can remember writing a paper in my undergrad Women’s History class ages ago about three generations of women in my own family?  Grandmother, mother, daughter?

We had talked about using a genogram and how we construct those earlier.

Contrary to what many might believe not all feminists are lesbians or bisexual?  Some are straight like me — and like most of my gen had multiple relationships with men?

Our gen really hasn’t unpacked all that, and so, I am writing it out as a novel?  For Cixous the “text” allows the seeing through?  So, body is text?

Body is also mythos?

As I said before half or more of the tail end boom kids are gay or lesbian?  The other half are straight?  Meaning heterosexual?  My novel is going to illustrate what coming of age looked like in the late 70’s?  As far as I can remember the first sex change happened in the 70’s.  Here. So, in looking at say, Camille Paglia?

She is not going to understand the heterosexual post Roe v. Wade experience like straight women from my generation have?

Hopefully this novel will be opening all that up.

It also explores all of the themes that lead into being a hetero?  And, as a feminist text it uses the body ala Cixous.

I think the novel form is going to be able to give a sense of what was lived?

So, that is why I am writing it that way — and it will slide back and forth between my mother and my grandmother as well?

These three generations had very different experiences of “feminism.”

And so I want to document that.  Also the text is going to explore wounds held not only in family systems but by the feminine body?  Feedback you would like to leave is very important to me?  So feel free!

I really felt after reading Kate Braverman that she is the cutting edge literary voice for Women’s Studies in the feminist novel genre?  I’ve been reading her since the late 70’s.  Palm Latitudes and also Incantation of Frida K?  Whew!

If I were teaching I’d be using these as texts, along with Cixous and Erica Jong and Ginette Paris…

Anyway, I’m following Kate!  I have always felt she was a big sis, on the page…

I however have a slight different take.  We all do!

hugs and xxoo!