The Cat and The Masked Woman
Published on 8. May 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-19-886372-4 (ISBN)
Description
'My little puma! My darling cat! My mountain lion! How will you go on living if we leave each other?'
Colette (1873-1954) is one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed French writers of the twentieth century. The Cat (first serialised then published in volume form in 1933) is one of her short novels. This story of a middle-class couple in 1920s Paris follows the familiar romantic structure of the 'eternal triangle', with the unexpected twist that the female rival is not a woman but a cat. The novel displays her capacity to conjure up a vibrantly physical world and a particular social moment, her radical yet nuanced view of gender roles, and her empathy with non-human creatures. The Masked Woman is a collection of short texts, mainly written for the daily newspaper Le Matin, focusing on small moments that mark a transition in a person's life, and on certain recurring themes: the pleasure and the pain in relationships between women and men, the wearing of masks both literal and metaphorical, female complicity and solidarity. They are also linked by Colette's inimitable narrative style, by the vividly material fictional universe she creates, and her liking for surprise and paradox that challenges a commonsensical view of the world.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around theglobe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of othervaluable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies forfurther study, and much more.
Colette (1873-1954) is one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed French writers of the twentieth century. The Cat (first serialised then published in volume form in 1933) is one of her short novels. This story of a middle-class couple in 1920s Paris follows the familiar romantic structure of the 'eternal triangle', with the unexpected twist that the female rival is not a woman but a cat. The novel displays her capacity to conjure up a vibrantly physical world and a particular social moment, her radical yet nuanced view of gender roles, and her empathy with non-human creatures. The Masked Woman is a collection of short texts, mainly written for the daily newspaper Le Matin, focusing on small moments that mark a transition in a person's life, and on certain recurring themes: the pleasure and the pain in relationships between women and men, the wearing of masks both literal and metaphorical, female complicity and solidarity. They are also linked by Colette's inimitable narrative style, by the vividly material fictional universe she creates, and her liking for surprise and paradox that challenges a commonsensical view of the world.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around theglobe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of othervaluable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies forfurther study, and much more.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
160 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-886372-4 (9780198863724)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Helen Constantine has translated many classic writers from French, including Zola, Laclos, Gautier, Flaubert, Balzac and Proust. She is the general editor of the City Tales series of short stories published by Oxford University Press.
Diana Holmes is Professor of French at the University of Leeds. She was named Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the Government of France in 2023. She is the author of many books and articles on French women's writing, from the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period, and from 'highbrow' to popular. Colette was the subject of her first book and has figured in much of her subsequent work. She also writes on film and co-founded the Manchester University Press series French Film Directors, as well as co-authoring the volume on Truffaut's cinema.
Diana Holmes is Professor of French at the University of Leeds. She was named Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the Government of France in 2023. She is the author of many books and articles on French women's writing, from the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period, and from 'highbrow' to popular. Colette was the subject of her first book and has figured in much of her subsequent work. She also writes on film and co-founded the Manchester University Press series French Film Directors, as well as co-authoring the volume on Truffaut's cinema.
Content
Introduction
Translator's Note
Select Bibliography
A Chronology of Colette
The Cat
The Masked Woman
Explanatory Notes
Translator's Note
Select Bibliography
A Chronology of Colette
The Cat
The Masked Woman
Explanatory Notes