Writing Ambition

Focusing on the psychological aspects of the literary engagements between women in France, Katharine Ann Jensen combines close readings of their works with attention to historical and biographical contexts to consider how and why one or both women in the pair express contradictions or anxiety about writing ambition.

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Writing Ambition: Literary Engagements between Women in France analyzes pairs of women writing in French. Through examining pairs of writers, ranging from Colette and Anne de Pène to Nancy Huston and Leïla Sebbar, Katharine Ann Jensen assesses how their literary ambitions affected their engagements with each other. Focused on the psychological aspects of the women's relationships, the author combines close readings of their works with attention to historical and biographical contexts to consider how and why one or both women in the pair express contradictory or anxious feelings about literary ambition.