Female Images of French Comics (Bande Dessinée)

Abstract

The article analyzes the history of female characters of French comics (bande dessinée). The study covers the period from the beginning of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, from the creation of albums telling about the history of Bécassina to the albums devoted to the adventures of Laureline. Analyzing the history of the development of female characters, the authors noted that the feminization of the French bande dessinée coincides with the chronology of the three stages of development of feminism. This circumstance is reflected in the specifics of female characters of comics, their nature, manner of action and gender relations. Moreover, the stories of female characters in the bande dessinée were a reflection of the social and cultural situation of a certain time, the change in the legal and civil status of a woman, the transformation of her role in society and the desire for real equality. The Bécassina’s character, although it fits into the framework of traditional gender relations and the social role of women in France at the beginning of the 20th century, at the same time reflects the beginning of a “rebellion”, an attempt to go beyond the assigned role, to know the outside world. The image of Lili in this context is more modern and more reflective of the post-war spirit of the “beautiful era” marked by the process of female emancipation. In any case, both characters have a choice to play a social role reserved for them by society, or to go beyond the patriarchal framework. In fact, this is the first bright characters bande dessinée, embarked on the path of emancipation. The second wave of feminism contributes to the evolution of female characters bande dessinée. The heroines of the comic books of the 1960—1970s reflect the results of the sexual emancipation of the post-war decades. This can be seen in the Barbarella way, but also in the behavior and lifestyle of Adèle (despite placing her in a completely different historical context). Unlike Bécassina and Lili, they are no longer constrained by the framework of traditional patriarchal relations, social and cultural conformism, expressing a desire to change the world. Finally, to the period of the third wave of feminism, we can attribute two albums telling about the adventures of Isa and the cosmic adventures of Laureline. As in the case of Adèle, the modern character of Isa, transferred to the context of the 18th century, introduces a modern interpretation of the issues of slavery, sexism and male domination. In the albums of the series “Valerian and Laureline”, the female character Laureline first becomes the central figure of the series, which allows us to speak about the end of the feminization of bande dessinée.