Translating Mind Matters in Twenty-First-Century French Women’s Writing

Book excerpt: Attitudes towards, and strategies for treating, those who suffer from abnormal mental states have evolved considerably over the centuries, and these are reflected in the various literary genres of all eras. In its introduction, this book provides a concise, yet thorough, overview of this phenomenon, citing key examples taken from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Each of the eight chapters which constitute Part One of this study then focuses on representations of a particular mental health issue in a work of literature produced by a twenty-first-century French woman writer. Considering the causes and symptoms of the given condition, it situates the representation of its treatment in relation to current attitudes and practices in the West. Inspired by the concept that reading literature which concentrates on mental health problems can be both informative and of comfort to those affected by such issues, Part Two provides detailed textual analyses, and discusses the English-language versions, of four works examined in Part One which already exist in translation. Suggesting how these may be of benefit to an Anglophone readership, it recommends that the four remaining texts, which may be equally helpful, are suitable for translation into English.