Reimagining the Family, Lesbian Mothering in Contemporary French Literature by Robert Payne

Abstract

Reviewed by: Reimagining the Family, Lesbian Mothering in Contemporary French Literature by Robert Payne Anoosheh Ghaderi Payne, Robert. Reimagining the Family, Lesbian Mothering in Contemporary French Literature. Peter Lang, 2021. ISBN 978-1-78874-772-1. Pp. 209. This book provides a comprehensive study of the picture of the paternal role in 21st century French lesbian writing. The author selected ten texts from 1970 to 2013, a period in which PACS (civil solidarity pact) was avidly debated across diverse fields in France. He argues that recognition of LGBTQ+ civil rights such as the legalization of same-sex marriage to reproduction and adoption laws, the emergence of self-portrayals of same-sex families, and the advent of discourses on lesbian mothering opened the path for a more inclusive image of the family. Focusing on the lesbian motherhood experience, Payne also explores lesbian writing, which, according to him, has not received equal scholarly attention as literary works produced by gay men. He also aims to acknowledge literature's precedence over legal endorsements in reflecting and contributing to social changes in the case of LGBTQ+ communities. Payne begins his analysis by showing the limits of feminist and psychoanalytic theories when applied to lesbian mothering. With their aversion to the patriarchal model of the family in a heterosexual, heteronormative context, key feminist figures such as Simone de Beauvoir expressed critical views of motherhood. But according to Payne, feminism, and psychoanalysis are myopic to the empowering role that motherhood plays in a non-heteronormative context. Contemporary lesbian writings reflect a more positive portrayal of motherhood and challenge the notion of parenting as a non-biological, non-heterosexual concept. Payne believes that some of the texts actually prefigure the debates on same-sex families in France by queering the concept of parenting through rethinking the fundaments of the family as a biological, binary unit. Nevertheless, the portrayal of same-sex families constantly oscillates between resembling or differentiating from heterosexual families while maintaining equality. The author concludes that the tendency to portray the personal experience of mothering as a lesbian supersedes radical views on motherhood and inclines to normalize lesbian mothering. Therefore, a groundbreaking image of lesbian parenting is yet to be achieved. In his concluding note, he assesses the lack of more transgressive views on the shape of the family in this body of literature. He regrets the inadequacies of these narratives in surpassing the body politics and the ordinary, heterosexual shape of mothering. Undoubtedly, Payne's study of French lesbian writings forwards the discussion surrounding lesbianism and motherhood in important ways. However, the author's final reservations stand in tension with his initial argument about literature's precedence over both social changes and legal recognition. Concluding the book with a comment on the perceived inadequacies of the movement, the analysis tends to unhelpfully mix descriptive and prescriptive approaches. This is likely due to the author's attempt to engage the subject matter from a supposedly purely academic point of view. This criticism, though, does not take away from the ultimate value that Payne's study adds to this difficult and often fractious discussion. [End Page 198] Anoosheh Ghaderi Louisiana State University Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of French