20th to 21st Centuries social and woman models through Annie Ernaux’s Une femme (2007)

Abstract

Introduction: Based on the reading of the book Une femme (2007) by Annie Ernaux, French Studies students are proposed a comparative study of women from the mid-20th century versus those from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, respectively. Methods: We will step out of the classroom and engage directly with society, after studying its functioning with Une femme as a guide. Results: First, the French societies of these periods are analyzed. Then, the different frameworks available to women in each period are presented. Additionally, the passage of the two protagonists through these three periods is examined. Finally, students are encouraged to identify contemporary figures in real society that correspond to these three social frameworks, which generate the two representations of women presented in the book, along with the third one, represented by the author herself in her life journey. Discussion and Conclusions: The study contributes to rethinking both the societal and female models presented in the book, through the two main protagonists, and to bringing this reflection into the students' contemporary social and educational context.