Tiffany Premand

I am currently writing a thesis on contemporary rewritings of premodern French literary classics within the context of the #MeToo movement and Cancel Culture. Influenced by feminist, postcolonial, and queer studies as well as the history of gender and sexuality, I examine rewriting as a subversive literary process and explore how it challenges gender, sexuality, power dynamics, and the definitions of consent, sexual harassment, rape, pedophilia, and incest. My corpus includes, among others, rewritings of fairy tales, 17^th-century theater plays, Madame de La Fayette’s La Princesse de Clèves, and Laclos’ Les Liaisons dangereuses, with texts like Christine Angot’s Peau d’âne, Marcela Iacub’s Œdipe Reine, Marie Darrieussecq’s Clèves, and Virginie Despentes’ Cher Connard. It also encompasses cinematic works, such as Peau d’Âne by Jaques Demy and La Belle Personne by Christophe Honoré, as well as texts produced outside official publication channels, like fanfictions.

I have chosen to present my thesis in podcast format because I am committed to making my research accessible to a wider audience beyond academia. By doing so, I aim to contribute to discussions regarding the role of premodern French cultural heritage in the #MeToo movement and its relevance in contemporary society. Moreover, I believe that the podcast medium provides a more suitable platform for addressing issues related to gender-based and sexual violence. Its immersive nature allows for an alternative analysis of the voices that emanate from my corpus, whether they convey experiences from the premodern or contemporary context.

Before delving into contemporary literature, I specialized in early modern and classical literature. In 2019, I completed my M.A. in French Language and Literature, Latin Language and Literature, and Ancient Greek Language and Literature at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. My master’s thesis focused on the emergence of sensibility in early 18^th-century France through an analysis of Étienne Simon de Gamaches’ moral treatise Le Système du cœur. This study also delved into the history of books and the circulation of ideas between France and England.

Publications:

“Les transferts culturels avant la traduction. Le cas de Gamaches,” Sophie Abdela et al. (dir.), Histoire de l’édition – Enjeux et usages des partages disciplinaires (XVI^e-XVIII^e siècle), Classiques Garnier, 2023, p. 71-84.

“Quand la marionnette s’émancipe. Les Réflexions nouvelles sur les femmes de la marquise de Lambert,” Diane Desrosiers et Roxanne Roy (dir.), Postures ventriloques (XV^e-XVIII^e siècle). Voix de femmes, Classiques Garnier, to be published.