Gender Convergence in Sand's La Mare au diable, a Contrasexual Reading

Publisher： Rodopi

ISSN： 0271-6607

Source： French Literature Series, Vol.34, Iss.1, 2007-08, pp. : 73-86

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Abstract

A contrasexual reading of Sand's La Mare au diable (1846) offers a new, "queer" reading by converging the roles of Germain and Marie as co-equals in a joint venture. Instead of viewing Germain as an ego-hero according to the prevailing model in Western culture (as if he were the projection of a male author), Marie replaces his centrality as an ego-heroine; Germain functions then as an Animus-hero (a kind of male muse) who serves her voyage to completion, while undergoing a transformation of his own. This model, more in line with the psyche of its woman author, lends a new interpretation to the novel's title, sheds new light on the roles of secondary women characters, and reveals greater psychological depth in the struggle of two male suitors. The concluding scene of Germain alone in nature presents a challenge to this contrasexual reading, unless viewed in its broad archetypal context of the Great Mother.