The Livres-Souvenirs of Colette
Genre and the Telling of Time

Anne Freadman

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Research Monographs in French Studies 33

Legenda

10 October 2012  •  190pp

ISBN: 978-1-906540-93-7 (hardback)  •  RRP £80, $110, €95

ISBN: 978-1-315086-03-3 (Taylor & Francis ebook)

ModernFrenchLife-Writing

Throughout her career, Colette experimented with genre for the purposes of telling stories of her life. The books that resulted, known collectively as her 'livres-souvenirs', are far from being autobiographies in the customary sense. By addressing the need to reconsider the generic issues surrounding autobiographical story-telling, Anne Freadman's study brings the richness of 'the genre question' to the fore, shedding a fresh light on this much-loved body of work. From the vignettes of La Maison de Claudine to the note-books of L'étoile vesper and Le Fanal bleu, from stories of losing to stories of collecting, Colette's memory books take different narrative forms and explore the passing of time in different ways. This book investigates Colette's variegated generic choices as so many ways of 'telling time'.

Anne Freadman is A. R. Chisholm Professor of French at the University of Melbourne.

Reviews:

  • ‘Freadman’s own book is elegantly written and delivers analytical acuity in the voice of a reader moved and enriched by her subject, as Colette’s writing deserves.’ — Diana Holmes, French Studies 67.4, October 2013, 575
  • ‘What shines through brightly across the entirety of Friedman's analysis is the sensitivity with which she highlights Colette's narrative intentions... A highly valuable addition to the scholarly activity currently produced on Colette.’ — Eileen M. Angelini, New Zealand Journal of French Studies 34.2, 2014, 125-26
  • ‘A new and convincing account of genre and autobiography in a selection of Colette’s more autobiographical writings... This book will be indispensable for scholars of Colette and those interested in the genre of autobiography.’ — Kathleen Antonioli, Modern Language Review 109.4, October 2014, 1088-89 (full text online)
  • ‘The rich and varied readings of the material, competently informed by theoretical input, together with acute sensitivity to the corpus, mark out this study as incontournable for Colette scholars.’ — Hélène Stafford, Modern and Contemporary France 22.3, 2014, 407-09
  • ‘Freadman’s book is clearly organized, with English translations following original French quotations, notes at the end of each chapter, bibliography, and index. Given the free-flowing analy- sis and essay-like treatment in general, this is an approach that will be appreciated most by those already familiar with a substantial part of Colette’s extensive corpus; for such readers, Freadman’s rapidly-moving treatment and often ludic touch should provide a good measure of enjoyment.’ — John T. Booker, French Review 88.4, 2014, 272

Bibliography entry:

Freadman, Anne, The Livres-Souvenirs of Colette: Genre and the Telling of Time, Research Monographs in French Studies, 33 (Legenda, 2012)

First footnote reference: 35 Anne Freadman, The Livres-Souvenirs of Colette: Genre and the Telling of Time, Research Monographs in French Studies, 33 (Legenda, 2012), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: 37 Freadman, p. 47.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

Bibliography entry:

Freadman, Anne. 2012. The Livres-Souvenirs of Colette: Genre and the Telling of Time, Research Monographs in French Studies, 33 (Legenda)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Freadman 2012: 21).

Example footnote reference: 35 Freadman 2012: 21.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

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Permanent link to this title:

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