Abstract This paper looks at how the literary French artiste' Colette, in a duet of short stories, "Gigi" and "The Cat", is able to explain some of the sexual nuances that make the sexes behave as they do; perhaps bringing some insight into our own present day relationships.
From the paper:
"Light vs. Darkness, Muslim vs. Christian, North vs. South, Football vs. Oprah, conflicts such as these rage on in our 21st century society. Of all conflicts the one furthest from resolution and the most highly contested seems to be the age-old battle of male sexuality vs. female sexuality. What do the opposing "dramatis personae" desire? How do they propose to attain it? Are the variances between the sexes really as vast as we"ve been led to believe" Through exquisite prose and imagery, the literary French artiste? Colette, in a duet of short stories Gigi and The Cat, is able to explain some of the sexual nuances that make the sexes behave as they do; perhaps bringing some insight into our own present day relationships ."
Abstract Film analysis of "Muriel's Wedding" focusing on social commentary developed through the female lead, Toni Collette. The analysis progresses in time through the film, discussing Collette's interactions and relationships with her immediate family, close friends and a magazine-ordered husband. The focus of the paper is the development of Collette's seemingly vacant personal identity.
From the Paper "Delicate bonds of friendship and support are commonly present among women and are frequently misunderstood by men at large. The film "Muriel's Wedding", directed by P.J. Hogan and released by Miramax Films in 1994, delivers an entertaining study on the intricacies of relationships between women. The female lead, Muriel Heslop, portrayed by Toni Collette, is a fascinating, dynamic character, who accidentally delivers complex statements on the emotional conditioning and familial influences born into women. Muriel's relationships with other women, including her mother, sister, friends, and her father's mistress, provide an entertaining chronicle of her coming of age and discovering the delight of emotional interdependence. Although the film is witty and comically light, its underlying themes are powerfully awakening and equally refreshing."
From the Paper "In innovative fiction Colette continually explores how intimately love is connected to sorrow. In Cher? Colette presents lovers as antagonists while offering her readers a non-idealized view of love which more closely resembles human experience than the love routinely depicted in gothic romance. Magnetized by the polarizations she found characteristic of the love experience, Colette tries in this novel to show love sullied by its desire for purity which remains unattainable. At the turn of the this century Colette was one of the first to show how women were much less likely than men to idealize love. Forced to live out its deceptions, contradictions, and ambiguities, women were at a much greater disadvantage than men if they chose to see it unrealistically. Cher? and L?a serve as representatives of
