Women by women
Subtitle: the treatment of female characters by women writers of fiction in Quebec since 1980
By: edited by Roseanna Lewis Dufault.
Contributors: Dufault, Roseanna Lewis, 1954-
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; Associated University Presses
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Madison, N.J; London; Cranbury, NJ
Language: eng
Number of pages: 270
Subjects: French-Canadian literature -- Québec (Province) -- History and criticism.; French-Canadian literature -- Women authors -- History and criticism.; French-Canadian literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.; Women and literature -- Québec (Province) -- History -- 20th century.; Women in literature.
Description: This collection of essays explores how female characters have been developed by women writers in Quebec since 1980; overall, women characters are depicted as being in opposition to accepted repressive societal norms. Many of the female characters are portrayed as writers, a recurring theme, perhaps as alter egos or projections of the actual novelists and dramatists.

Some of the authors treat writing as a healing return to origins; some address the extent to which women have traditionally been excluded from linguistic and artistic expression. In this light, writing one's own history constitutes a crucial, courageous step for women who refuse to be silenced.

While some of the featured works seem dark and pessimistic, they express, collectively, a certain hope for a brighter, more egalitarian future. This anthology brings together cogent critical studies in a way that identifies and illuminates trends among Quebec's contemporary women writers.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.