Monique Wittig(1935- )
  "Language casts sheaves of reality upon the social body"
Page by Stephanie Mazzarella, Fall 1999
Biography
1935- (1940?) Monique Wittig is born in France
Mid 1950's- Attends the Universite De Paris, earns a language degree
1964- Publishes her first novel, L'opopomax
1968- (1970?) Helped to organize a separatist group called the Feministes Revolutionnaires; also took
        part in a protest at which they attempted to place a wreath inscribed "to the unknown wife of a
        soldier" at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Paris
1969- Publishes her second novel, Les Guerilleres
1970- Becomes spokeswoman for the Feministes Revolutionnaires
1973- Publishes Le corps lesbien; begins to feel disillusioned by the separations between the areas of
        psychoanalytical and socialist reforming feminism and thereby gives up her involvement in
        specific groups
1976- Publishes Brouillon pour un dictionnaire des amants, moves to the Unites States permanently
1977- Collaborated with Simone De Beauvior and Christine Delphy (socialist economist) on the
        journal Questions feminists
1986- Receives Ph.D. in Language Studies
1990- Takes a position at the University of Arizona at Tuscon where she is currently (?) a professor
        of French and Italian
 
Quotes:
     "I understand that separatism is necessary for certain women; but I, as a writer, cannot
    function in separatism."

        "The discourses which particularly oppress all of us, lesbians, women, and homosexual
    men, are those which take for granted that which founds society, any society, is
    heterosexuality."

        "....and it would be incorrect to say that lesbians associate, make love, live with women,
    for "woman" has meaning only in heterosexual systems of thought and heterosexual economic
    systems.  Lesbians are not women."
 
 
Sources:
Books:
    Bartkowski, Frances and Wendy Kolmar.  Feminist Theory: A Reader.  Mayfield Publishing
            Company, Mountain View, CA: 2000.

    Uglow, Jennifer S.  The International Dictionary of Women's Biography.  Continuum
            Publishing Company, New York, NY: 1982.

    Wittig, Monique. The Straight Mind & Other Essays.  Beacon Press, Boston, Mass: 1992.

Web:
    http://www.coh.arizona.edu/french/wittig.html

      http://mchip00.med.nyu.edu/lit-med/lit-mededu/webdocs/webauthors/wittig

     http://www.arizona.edu/working/teaching.html

     http://www.geocites.com/WstHolleywood/Village/8654/monique.html
 

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