Historical Context
The Catholic Church
By the time the 1980s rolled around, the Catholic Church in France, despite its venerable history, was witnessing a notable decline. Though a vast majority, between 80 to 90 percent, identified as Catholics, only a small fraction actually attended mass. Meanwhile, atheism was gaining traction. As attendance dwindled, many French citizens gravitated towards alternative forms of worship. This period saw a burgeoning of intimate gatherings for prayer and reflection, often held in the cozy sanctuaries of private homes.
France and the Arts
With the Socialist rise to power in 1981, France’s cultural landscape began to shimmer with renewed vibrancy. The advent of François Mitterand as president heralded a commitment to enriching the nation’s cultural fabric, with an increased budget allocated to the Ministry of Culture. Mitterand, alongside his visionary minister of culture, Jack Lang, aspired to democratize art and integrate it seamlessly into everyday life. Apart from championing established art forms like theater, Lang fervently supported what were termed the "minor arts." His ministry offered financial backing to entities exploring the exuberance of circus acts, the artistry of costume-making, the culinary wonders of gastronomy, the intricate craft of tapestry weaving, and the imaginative world of comic strips, among various other artistic expressions. Individual creators, from writers to composers and film directors, also found encouragement under his aegis.
During the 1980s, the literary scene shifted away from scrutinizing modern French society. Novels began to transport readers either into historical settings or to far-off lands, or steered towards intimate themes such as romance and childhood. In contrast, the profound social critique that distinguished so much of France’s classic literary heritage seemed to fade into the background.
Women
The decades of the 1970s and 1980s marked a transformative era for French women, ushering in a wave of social and legal advancements. Key feminist victories included the legalization of abortion, the provision of sixteen weeks of paid maternity leave, and strides towards equal pay. The landmark Professional Equality Law of 1982 boldly declared workplace sexual discrimination unlawful. In the sphere of arts, Marguerite Yourcenar made history as she became the first woman to be inducted into the Académie Française in 1980. By the close of the 1980s, a growing cadre of French women was stepping into the workforce, contributing to the vibrant tapestry of the nation’s economic life.
Literary Style
Diary
I Remain in Darkness is a poignant journal that Ernaux meticulously maintained during her mother’s battle with illness. Over a decade after her mother’s passing, Ernaux made the introspective choice to publish these raw reflections. She arranged them in chronological order, yet deliberately refrained from any edits, striving to capture the confusion and anguish she felt in those moments. Consequently, Ernaux's journal does not weave a complete narrative, as it was never intended to do so. This anthology of emotional fragments speaks to the heart, not through a structured story. Ernaux relinquishes the chance to offer her readers contextual background that might illuminate the complex bond between her and her mother.
Memoir
Ernaux's literary canvas, often autobiographical, finds its truest form in I Remain in Darkness, a memoir that captures her inner world during the two and a half years of her mother’s decline due to Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, Ernaux explored this delicate subject in A Woman’s Story, a narrative that juxtaposes the lives of a rural, working-class mother and her university-educated daughter. Kathryn Harrison noted in the New York Times Book Review that, although there’s little disparity between the two works, this memoir offers a more intimate glimpse into the slow, heartrending demise that compelled Ernaux to...
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document the fading life she witnessed. InI Remain in Darkness, Ernaux leverages the memoir’s flexible format to convey her raw, unfiltered emotions as they unfolded, reflecting the genre’s inherent fluidity.
Preface
Though it bears no official label, Ernaux begins I Remain in Darkness with a preface of profound importance, as it’s the sole section she crafted specifically for publication. Here, Ernaux enlightens readers on the abruptness of the text, explaining that its fragmented nature stems from her decision not to alter her journal.
This preface holds further significance, offering crucial insights into the journal entries that follow. Without this introduction, readers unfamiliar with Ernaux and her background might miss the personal and artistic significance of I Remain in Darkness. Ernaux shares that A Woman’s Story was her first attempt to decipher her relationship with her mother, an endeavor she later recognized as insufficiently representative.
Compare and Contrast
• 1980s: Spanning from the 1970s into the bustling 1980s, a remarkable surge of French women stepping into the workforce unfolds. The vibrant service sector emerges as a dominant employer, welcoming the largest share of female workers in France.
Today: In the present day, a shift in employment patterns sees French women embracing part-time roles more frequently. This change is driven by a dwindling availability of full-time jobs and evolving work culture trends.
• 1980s: As the 1980s dawn, rural regions continue to witness a steady exodus, with populations in these areas dwindling.
Today: With the arrival of the 1990s, urbanization soars in France, where the cityscape now hosts 74.5 percent of the population, leaving only 24.5 percent in the countryside.
• 1980s: Though Alzheimer’s disease was first identified in 1906, support options for those affected remained sparse until 1979. That pivotal year marked the founding of the Alzheimer’s Association, which, throughout the 1980s, fervently spread awareness and launched grants to fuel groundbreaking research.
Today: Fast forward to 2000, when the Alzheimer’s Association joins forces to host the World Alzheimer Congress 2000. This monumental event draws 5,000 leading global Alzheimer researchers, healthcare providers, and caregivers, becoming the largest platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field.
• 1980s: The establishment of the Alzheimer’s Association sparks a growing public consciousness about the disease. By 1983, the U.S. government greenlights a task force dedicated to steering and coordinating Alzheimer’s-related scientific research.
Today: In a significant breakthrough, genetic researchers unveil chromosomal insights linked to Alzheimer’s. The year 2001 also sees the USFDA granting approval for a fourth drug aimed at alleviating symptoms associated with the disease.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Bernstein, Richard, ‘‘When a Parent Becomes the Child,’’ in New York Times, November 22, 1999.
Harrison, Kathryn, ‘‘As She Lay Dying,’’ in New York Times Book Review, November 28, 1999.
Murphy, Eileen, Review, in Baltimore City Paper, January 10, 2001.
Review, in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 246, No. 41, October 11, 1999, p. 54.
Robertson, Robin, Beginner’s Guide to Jungian Psychology, Nicholas-Hays, Inc., 1992, pp. 41–43.
Sallis, James, Review, in Review of Contemporary Fiction, Vol. 20, No. 1, Spring 2000, p. 193.
Williams, Wilda, Review, in Library Journal, Vol. 124, No. 19, November 15, 1999, p. 90.
Further Reading
Atack, Margaret, and Phil Powrie, Contemporary French Fiction by Women: Feminist Perspectives, Manchester University Press, 1990. This study includes a chapter on Ernaux.
Fallaize, Elizabeth, French Women’s Writing: Recent Fiction, Macmillan, 1993. Fallaize’s study includes a chapter on Ernaux.
Gillick, Muriel R., Tangled Minds: Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, Plume, 1999.Dr. Gillick creates a composite patient to show the problems that Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families face, as well as providing an historical perspective of the disease.
Holmes, Diana, French Women’s Writing: 1848–1994, The Athlone Press, 1996. Holmes traces the development of French women’s writing over a period of 150 years.
Stephens, Sonia, ed., A History of Women’s Writing in France, Cambridge University Press, 2000.This study introduces French women’s writing from the sixth century to the present day. Each chapter focuses on a given period and a range of writers. A reference section includes a guide to more than 150 authors and their works.
Thomas, Lyn, Annie Ernaux: An Introduction to the Writer and Her Audience, Berg. Pub. Ltd., 1999. Thomas presents the first book-length study of Ernaux’s work, which is intended for general readers as well as for students of French literature.
