This module will concentrate on texts produced in French by women writers from 1980 to the present. The module will begin by addressing and problematising theoretical discussions of sexual difference and the notion of a specifically feminine mode of writing. The extent to which these texts are reflective of emerging trends in the contemporary French novel will also be considered.Through detailed study of fictional and semi-fictional texts by writers such as Marie Redonnet and Marie Darrieussecq, students will be invited to consider whether recurring themes and narrative techniques can be identified in works by women and the relationship between gender, literary production and genre. A key focus of the course will be the thematic and stylistic evolution of texts by women writers during this period. The module will also highlight the recent success of a new generation of French women writers, including the Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb and beur women writers such as Nina Bouraoui, while also examining the many and complex reflections on bi-cultural identity within their textual productions.