ABSTRACT
The question of whether one can speak of inherent differences, or ‘différence’,1 between male and female writing has been a prominent one in French literary circles during the 1970s and 1980s. It is certainly true to say that there are certain French women writers who have wished to emphasize their feminine status, while there are others who have chosen to stress their identity first and foremost as writers, and then as women. The following extracts, taken from declarations by Marie Cardinal and Marguerite Duras, illustrate the essence of this debate.
