The mother mirror
Subtitle: self-representation and the mother-daughter relation in Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, and Marguerite Duras
By: Laurie Corbin.
Series: Currents in comparative Romance languages and literatures, 32
Publisher: P. Lang; Lang Publishing, Incorporated, Peter
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York, USA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 169
Subjects: Colette, 1873-1954 -- Criticism and interpretation.; Beauvoir, Simone de, 1908-  -- Criticism and interpretation.; Duras, Marguerite -- Criticism and interpretation.; French literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.; Autobiography.; Mothers and daughters -- France.
Description: In The Mother Mirror, Laurie Corbin studies the mother-daughter relationships portrayed in autobiographical works by Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, and Marguerite Duras. Psychoanalytic theory, in particular the work of Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeya, is used to show how women's self-representations can be determined by the ways in which they see their mothers.

Corbin's feminist theoretical framework illuminates both the psychological and the social contexts of these autobiographical works, showing that even the most intimate relationships are shaped by social structures and that social reality is dependent on the workings of the psyche.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [149]-165) and index.