Abstract
Some contemporary French writers use Australia as a décor on which to project theirhopes and fears. Two works by French writers Michèle Decoust and Catherine Rey, bothwith a direct experience of the country, exemplify this trend. This is particularly true oftheir depiction of love (or lack thereof) in the Australian outback. The article exploresthe various types of passions the two texts contain. Both texts rely on fairlystereotypical views of gender relations in Australia but offer contrasting conclusions.Analysed under the light of sociological and feminist readings Decoust's hope for truelove in Australia is doomed to failure. Whereas Catherine Rey provides a bleakrewriting of Blue Beard set in the outback, her fable seems to offer a glimmer of hope toher protagonist who liberates herself thanks to a female Aboriginal friend, and a gradualunderstanding of her oppression.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11pp |
| Journal | FULGOR |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |