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Department of World Languages, Literatures, and
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Fall 2001
A la recherche de la pureté': Colette on Women
Writers
Tama L. Engelking
Cleveland State University, [email protected]
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Recommended Citation
Tama L. Engelking. (2001). 'A la recherche de la pureté': Colette on Women Writers. Atlantis: A Women's Studies Journal/Revue
d'études sur les femmes, 26(1), 3-12.
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"A la recherche de la purete":
Colette on Women Writer s
Tama Lea Engelking
ABSTRACT
"Purete" is a key, if ambiguous, concept in Colette's work that provides insights into her ambivalent attitude toward the writing
profession in general, and the role of the woman writer in particular. Colette links purity and poetry in her characterization of Sido as
a pure poet, and in her assessment of two other poets: Helene Picard, whose work exemplifies pure poetry, and Renee Vivien, the impure
poet whose portrait is included in Le Pur et I'impw (1932). This study shows how Colette manipulates the concepts of pure and impure
in order to highlight her difference from other women writers as she forges a new and positive identity for herself as a prose writer.
RESUME
"La "puret6" est un concept vital, mais ambigu, dans l'oeuvre de Colette qui peut elucider son attitude ambivalente envers le metier de
l'ecrivain en general, et surtout le role de la femme-ecrivain. Colette relie la purete et la po£sie quand elle caracterise Sido comme un
"poete pur," et dans son evaluation de deux autres poetes: H&ene Picard, dont l'oeuvre exemplifie la poesie pure, et Renee Vivien, le
poete "impur" dont le portrait figure dans Le Pur et I'impur (1932). Cette £tude demontre comment Colette manipule les concepts du
"pur" et de "I'impur" enfin de se distinguer des autres femmes-ecrivains, tandis qu'elle se forge une nouvelle identite positive comme
prosateur.
The first part of my title, borrowed from a
chapter in Anne Ketchum's book on Colette, can be
read i n two ways - a s Colette' s ow n search for
"pureti" whic h critic s generally relat e t o the lost
paradise of her youth, and particularly to her mother
Sido, an d as the searching literary critics do as we
look through the volumes of Colette's work in order
to construct a coherent meaning around the concept
of "pureti." In either case, "pur," "purete," andthei r
opposites are key words that critics frequently focus
on i n an effort t o understand Colette' s notions of
sexuality, writing, and the relation between the two.
They are , as Jacob Stockinge r puts it, "imprecise
concepts that provide a constant i n Colette's ethical
and esthetic visions from th e early Claudine novels
to th e ambitiou s Le Pur et I'impur wher e th e
ambiguities of such moralist terminology generate
an entire system of narration, character, event s an d
images" (360) . Le t m e underlin e th e wor d
"imprecise" here and refer to the final paragraph of
Le Pur et I'impur wher e th e narrator , "Madam e
Colette," after havin g given innumerable examples
of the impure , admits to her readers that "pur" has
not yielde d a n intelligibl e meanin g t o her . She
closes tha t boo k wit h a n evocative description o f
the sound s o f the wor d "pur, " an d the images of
clearness - crystal, water, bubble s - she associates
with it. "Je n'en suis qu'a etancher un e soi f optique
de puret e dan s le s transparences qu i l'evoquent,
dans le s bulles , l'ea u massive , e t le s site s
imaginaires retranches, hor s d'atteinte, a u sein d'un
epais cristal" (3: 653).
M y ow n "recherche d e l a purete " wil l
concentrate o n how Colette applie s "l e pur" to
women writers by examining what she wrote abou t
Hilene Picard and Renie Vivien, two women poets
who see m to epitomize, respectively, the pure an d
the impur e for her. Moreover , by linking "l e pur"
specifically wit h poetry, as Colette herself does, we
can focu s th e elusive play of pure an d impure in
Colette's crystal ball, an d throw som e ligh t on her
attitude towar d wome n writin g an d the curiously
negative attitud e sh e demonstrate d toward s he r
profession a s a woma n writer . Elain e Mark s
contends that attempts to situate Colett e in relation
to her generation o f French women writers usually
fail becaus e sh e elude s th e habitua l categories ,
remaining on the margins, crossing or slipping in
and out o f categories suc h as gender, socia l class,
urban/rural, learned/popula r cultur e an d literary
genres ("Celebrating Colette" ix). Colette's notions
of th e pur e an d impur e provid e ye t anothe r
ambiguous pairing, but when specifically applied to
her idea s o n poetry , the y nevertheles s yiel d
important insight s int o th e new identity o f prose
writer sh e was forgin g for herself by highlightin g
her differenc e from othe r wome n writers.
Colette is famous fo r her reticence t o talk
about her own writing, an attitude that went hand in
hand with her general resistance t o the connotation s
associated wit h th e rol e o f woma n writer . Sh e
repeatedly denie d an y callin g fo r thi s joyles s
vocation force d o n her by necessity , an d when th e
Royal Belgia n Academ y of French Language an d
Literature elected her a member i n 1936, she bega n
her acceptanc e speec h b y expressin g he r
astonishment a t findin g hersel f a writer : "J e sui s
devenue ecrivai n san s m'e n apercevoir...j e
m'etonnais encor e que Ton m'appelat ecrivain , qu'un
iditeur et un public me traitassent en icrivain..." (3:
1079). Near the end of her life, after more than sixty
titles, numerous awards , and worldwide recognition
for he r work, she grudgingl y accepted writin g as a
habit tha t wa s impossibl e t o break . I t wa s onl y
when she finally foun d herself a famous ol d woman
who coul d at las t write for her ow n pleasure - that
is, without the intention of actually publishing what
she wrote - that she allowed herself to feel some joy
in the ar t she had cultivated for over half a century.
Colette's attitud e abou t writin g wa s
decidedly anti-intellectual , an d sh e produce d a
sensual pros e tha t Anne Ketchum characterizes a s
de-intellectual in that she restored writin g to life by
awakening th e body , sensualit y an d sensua l
enjoyment from inerti a an d indifferenc e ("Colett e
and the Enterpris e o f Writing" 22). Colette lai d n o
claim t o a system o f thought o r to a methodology ,
rejected th e suggestio n o f reducin g he r wor k t o
"iddes recues," an d insiste d that "ideis generates"
suited he r badly . "I I y a trois parures qui me von t
tres mal : le s chapeau x empanach6s , le s idee s
g&iirales e t le s boucles d'oreille " ("La Poisie qu e
j'aime" 577) . Mor e than on e reporte r wen t awa y
disappointed a t being deprived of insights int o th e
workings o f this woma n o f letters who refuse d t o
call herself one, and who claimed no special method
to her writing . One of her "Dialogue s a un e voix "
entitled "Interview" says it best by saying nothing at
all. Commentin g on the silenc e of the interviewee ,
the journalist exclaims: "Comment, vous n'avez pas
ouvert l a bouche? A h ! qu e c'es t femme, c e mot-la,
que c'es t femme! mai s rien que dans ce mot-la, i l y
a cent lignes de psychologie!... La femme, n'est-ell e
pas tout e dans ce qu'elle tait"? (Mille et un matins
247-48).
Although Colette' s silenc e about her own
work wa s matche d b y a genera l refusa l t o writ e
criticism abou t the wor k o f other femal e authors ,
she was known to write to and about the numerou s
women writer s sh e kne w i n a variety o f differen t
contexts - correspondence, memoirs , lectures , an d
journal articles . I f no t exactl y criticism , he r
comments dra w a clea r distinctio n betwee n th e
women poet s sh e knew , an d he r ow n caree r a s a
professional pros e writer , that we ca n interpre t i n
light of her notions of pure poetry and the pure poet.
Two text s ar e especiall y enlightenin g i n thi s
respect. Th e firs t i s a n articl e Colett e wrot e t o
commemorate th e poe t rlilene Picard, which wa s
later reprinted in L Etoile vesper and their published
correspondence; th e secon d i s Colette' s famou s
portrait o f the Sapphi c poet Renee Vivie n foun d in
Le Pur et I'impur (1932).
Before w e tur n t o Colette' s opinio n o f
these two published poets, I want to examine a few
key passages in which Colette associates purity with
poetry. Th e mos t importan t i s foun d i n La
Naissance du jour, writte n i n 1928, the sam e year
she published her pamphlet on Renie Vivien which
she late r incorporated int o Le Pur et I'impur. In La
Naissance du jour Colett e evokes her mother Sid o
as a pure poet who provides the mode l which he r
coarse an d impur e daughte r ca n onl y poorl y
imitate:
1
Que j e lu i reVele , a mo n tou r savante ,
combien je suis son impure survivance, sa
grossiere image, sa servante fidele chargee
de basse s besognes ! Ell e m' a donne " l e
jour, et l a mission de poursuivre c e qu'e n
poete elle saisit et abandonna , comm e o n
s'empare d'u n fragment d e meUodi e
flottante, e n voyage dans l'espace... .
(3: 290-91 )
Colette's impurity emerges, for example, when sh e
gives i n to th e temptatio n t o touc h th e butterfly' s
wing agains t he r mother' s advice . Sh e marvel s a t
her mother's abstention an d links it with the purit y
she lacks.
A n'e n pas douter, m a mere savait, elle qui
n'apprit rien , comme ell e disai t 'qu'e n s e
briilant,' ell e savai t qu'o n possed e dan s
l'abstention, e t seulemen t dan s
l'abstention. Abstention, consommation, le
peche n'est guere plu s lourd ici que la.
(3: 290 )
The daughter' s guilt y indulgenc e stand s i n shar p
contrast t o he r mother' s purit y whic h Colett e
characterizes a s "Puret e d e ceu x qu i n'on t pa s
commis d'effraction! " (3 : 290). Mor e importantl y
for m y argument , sh e relate s he r ow n impurit y to
what she calls the menial task o f writing .
Colette approache d writin g lik e a tedious
domestic tas k tha t require s patienc e rathe r tha n
inspiration. Bu t whil e he r domesti c ar t le d t o
published books and a literary career, the "poetry "
of he r mothe r i s unwritten , impossible , and thu s
remains pure , o r a s Lynn e Huffe r put s it , "i t i s
precisely i n her inabilit y to name that Sido retain s
what Colett e calls her 'purity' " (33). Elaine Harris
goes eve n furthe r i n he r stud y o f sensualit y i n
Colette's work, calling Sid o "un double de Colette
incarnant le 'pur' dans la polarite pur/impur" which
Harris later relates to "silence/parole" (14). Thi s last
pairing i s a variatio n o n th e "consommatio n
/abstention" distinctio n Colette introduce s i n La
Naissance du jour an d extends i n Le Pur et I'impur,
the implications of which will become clearer in our
discussion o f that key work.
In he r astut e reading of La Naissance du
jour, Huffe r see s Sid o a s a devic e t o translat e
Colette's anxiety at the prospect o f writing . Colette
prepares th e way to becoming her mother's literary
successor b y puttin g a n oddl y feminin e twis t o n
Bloom's "anxiety of influence. " Instead of assertin g
her superiorit y ove r th e poeti c skill s o f he r
predecessor an d model , sh e denigrate s he r ow n
literary achievements . "Madam e Colette, " th e
narrator o f this text, admits , for example, that it is
her mother who is by far the better writer, and yet
the daughter becomes, in effect, the translator of th e
pure materna l discourse , wh o invent s wha t he r
mother would have said to her (Huffer 34-35). An d
it i s Colette who must deciphe r her mother' s final
letter, writte n in an incoheren t confusio n of joyfu l
symbols tha t sh e call s "u n alphabe t nouveau " (3 :
371). Wha t Colette gains through losin g her purity
is precisel y the authorit y t o write , as pur e silenc e
gives way to impure "parole."
But Sid o was, in fact, a prolific and natural
writer. Colette' s lovin g description s of her mothe r
composing letters i n the middle of he r garden wit h
a dictionar y on her knees stan d in stark contrast t o
what w e know about Colette' s own writing habits .
Her correspondenc e i s ful l o f reference s t o th e
rather painful act of writing , sitting not in a garden,
but alway s at her desk , usuall y with a deadline t o
meet, an d complainin g al l th e whil e o f th e
wonderful pleasure s o f life sh e i s missing. Writin g
to he r frien d HeTen e Picar d i n 1933 , Colett e
complains about makin g no headway o n her lates t
project and adds wistfully, "Ave c quelle joie je m'y
risignerais, sL.j'avai s de quo i vivre . Vivr e san s
ecrire, 6 merveille! " (Lettres 164 ; Ellipsi s i n
original). Real writing, she implies, the kind you d o
for a living , i s neither natura l no r fun ; i t i s har d
work forced on her by economic necessity, and, as
we will see , it is inherently impure.
The natura l worl d tha t comprise d Sido's
kingdom i s th e real m o f pur e poetry . Colett e
highlights this relationship in another text titled "L e
Poete" include d in Journal a rebours, wher e sh e
tells the story of a child poet in what one critic calls
"the most serious statement on 'Art' t o be foun d in
Colette's works " (Makwar d 186) . Th e narrato r
inadvertently come s acros s a youn g bo y name d
Tonin who m sh e see s babbling and gesticulatin g
near a brook. Although th e strea m drown s ou t hi s
voice, sh e imagine s that he i s creating pure poetr y
inspired b y th e rhythm s o f natur e herself :
"Poete-enfant, jugeai-je . Sensibilit y lyrism e qu'un
entourage effarouche... . Solitaire , exalte, Toni n s e
donnait tout entier a la mission du poete: oublier la
rialite, promettr e a u mond e de s prodiges , chante r
les victoires et nier la mort" {Journal a rebours 31,
36). Th e chil d poe t i s linke d t o nature , th e los t
paradise Colett e enjoyed in the pre-writing days of
innocence she associates wit h Sido .
This descriptio n of the pur e chil d poet i s
reinforced in a chapter from La Maison de Claudine
called "L e Cur i su r l e mur, " wher e w e find th e
young Colett e embroiderin g a whol e worl d o f
meaning aroun d th e wor d "presbytere " withou t
understanding wha t the wor d denotes. Joa n Hinde
Stewart reads this crucial chapter as a parable of th e
writer's genesi s an d argue s tha t i t "illustrate s th e
primordial rol e o f languag e i n organizin g an d
possessing th e world , an d suggest s a privilege d
relation wit h words " (266) . Stewar t characterize s
the child' s world a s one without boundaries wher e
words "ar e material , tactile , voluptuous , an d
mutable" (267). Much lik e Colette' s invocation of
the wor d "pur " wit h whic h I bega n thi s
investigation, languag e i s a t it s pures t whe n i t i s
closest t o th e materia l an d sensation , an d farthes t
from th e code s an d boundarie s impose d o n th e
written word.
Colette's oft-quote d statemen t about ho w
she fel t n o callin g t o b e a write r make s thi s pur e
relationship with language clear. An avid reader, the
young Colett e fel t revolte d b y th e gestur e o f
encoding her ideas and sensations int o writing, and
for a lon g tim e sh e resiste d learnin g t o write . In
fact, sh e unequivocally states that she felt born not
to write:
Mais dan s m a jeunesse , j e n'a i jamais ,
jamais desire " ecrire . Non, je n e m e sui s
pas levi e l a nuit e n cachett e pou r ecrir e
des ver s a u crayon sur l e couvercle d'une
boite a chaussures! Non , je n'ai pas jet£ au
vent d'ouest et au clair de lune des parole s
inspirees!... Ca r j e sentais , chaqu e jou r
mieux, je sentais que j'etais justement fait e
pour n e pas 6crire... . Aucun e voi x
n'emprunta l e son du vent pour me glisser
avec un petit souffle froid, dans l'oreille, le
conseil d'icrire , e t d'icrir e encore , d e
ternir, e n ecrivant , m a bondissant e o u
tranquille perceptio n d e l'univer s vivant.
(Journal a rebours 145-46 ; Emphasis in
original)
It was not until the day when necessity put a pen in
her hand, that, she continues , "J e compris qu'il m e
faudrait chaqu e jour, lentement, docilemen t gcrire,
patiemment concilie r le son et le nombre, me lever
t6t pa r preference , m e couche r tar d pa r devoi r
(147)." I n othe r words , lik e tha t o f Sid o an d th e
child poet , Colette's relationship to th e worl d wa s
untarnished unti l sh e wa s oblige d to translat e he r
impressions into writing.
Colette's stories of coming to writing show
her slipping farther an d farther awa y from the ideal
realm o f pure poetr y i n pursuit of a writing career .
The two , i t seems, canno t b e reconciled , with th e
notable exceptio n o f Hellen e Picard , a poe t wh o
managed t o remain pure i n Colette's eyes despit e a
number o f publishe d book s an d severa l literar y
prizes. Colette and Helene Picard first met in 192 1
when both o f them were writin g for Le Matin, an d
they maintaine d a clos e friendshi p an d
correspondence eve n after a debilitating illness kept
2
Picard confine d t o he r Pari s apartment . Th e tw o
women had much in common: they wer e th e same
age, came from similar provincial backgrounds, and
shared a lov e o f animals an d goo d food . Despit e
Picard's earl y success s a s a poet, by th e tim e sh e
met Colette , she wa s scramblin g to mak e a livin g
with her writing and could barely make ends meet.
Colette took her friend under her wing and used her
influence t o hel p promot e Picard' s career ,
eventually commissionin g a nove l fo r he r
"Collection Colette." When Picard die d in 1945, a
close friend console d Colett e o n he r los s b y
comparing Helen e Picar d t o Sido : "L'existenc e
d'Hilene repr£sentait pour vous, chere Colette, une
n^cessite profond e - comm e cell e d e 'Sido. ' C'es t
pourquoi Helen e e t Sid o vou s furen t donnies "
(Lettres 229).
Colette's notio n o f pure poetr y provide s
another obviou s lin k betwee n Picar d an d Sido .
Written shortl y afte r Picard' s deat h i n 1945 ,
Colette's tribute to her friend reads like a defense o f
Picard's purity and opens with an image reminiscent
of th e final word s i n Le Pur et I'impur quote d
earlier: "Un e vie aussi pure qu e l a sienne n e peu t
manquer de paraitre mysterieuse. II n'est pas aisi d e
lire atravers la sphere de cristal" (Lettres 11). What
she see s in her crysta l ball i s a poet whos e purit y
echoes Sido' s in many respects . Althoug h Colette
never explicitl y compare s th e two , it is implie d in
the imager y sh e use s t o describ e Picar d an d he r
poetry. Muc h lik e Sid o in La Naissance du jour,
who i s up a t the dawn' s blu e light , the pocket s o f
her blu e apro n fille d wit h grai n to fee d th e fowl ,
Picard i s a n urbanize d Sid o wh o als o greet s th e
dawn to feed the birds, her blue pet parakeets, tha t
is, fro m th e to p floo r o f he r smal l Parisia n
apartment on the rue d'Alleray. Colette mentions the
blue colo r o f Picard' s bird s an d he r apartmen t
several times , an d he r abundan t us e o f natur e
imagery enhances the compariso n between Picar d
and the earth mother, Sido. "Autour d'elle, les traces
de l a po&ique abondance voltigeaient . Une de se s
matin£es suffisait , souvent , a ensemence r l a
chambre bleue" (13). Picard's poems fly around the
room, she sows her apartment with them; her poems
appear to blossom , to ripen in the sunlight , and t o
hatch open at the right moment. Her handwriting is
organic, compared to "antennes aigues," and "partes
d'insecte."
Like Sid o snatchin g a momen t i n he r
garden to pen a letter, Picard writes poems here and
there, o n an y od d bi t o f pape r sh e ca n find ,
abandoning a poem in mid-verse to answer the cal l
of her pet birds, or to stir the chocolate. "Quel beau
dedain, que l orgueil , quell e modestie....Ell e
enveloppait, d'u n poem e a peine sdche \ l a part du
gateau, l e triangle de fromage montagnar d plu s dur
qu'une tuile , qu'ell e glissai t dan s mo n sac " (13) .
And when Colette asks her i f she has at least kept a
copy, she replies, "Eh non! J'en ferai d'autres!" (13).
Helene Picard is, according to Colette, one of those
privileged fe w wh o ar e bor n t o write , an d he r
profuse poetr y contrasts dramaticall y with Colette's
own painfull y discipline d prose , a distinctio n sh e
highlights by adding " J'admirais cette d6sordonnee,
cette riche , ave c u n imerveillemen t de prosatric e
6conome..." (13).
Colette make s a poin t o f separatin g he r
prose writin g fro m women' s poetr y i n a 193 8
lecture entitle d "L a PoSsie que j'aime" wher e sh e
calls herself a sort of monster, "u n prosateur qu i n'a
jamais dcri t d e vers " (577) . Despit e th e lecture' s
title, Colett e i s primaril y concerne d her e wit h
distancing hersel f from th e genr e often associate d
with "natural" and "spontaneous" women poets such
as he r goo d friend s Helen e Picar d an d Ann a d e
Noailles. Moreover, she insists that it required strict
diligence on her part not to le t an alexandrine sli p
into he r pros e fo r fea r o f becoming "u n mauvai s
poete dichain6 " (581) . Thi s echoe s th e critica l
assessment o f Ann a d e Noailles , th e best-know n
woman poet o f her generation, who was viewed as
an undiscipline d and essentially inspire d writer, a
view that Noailles herself often reinforced. When
Colette asks Anna de Noailles if she intends to write
more novels , fo r example , th e poe t respond s
"Jamais! Pourquoi me servirais-je d'un language ou
je n e pourrai s pa s tou t dire? " (582) . Colett e
describes Noailles ' reactio n a s a n "hommag e
rendu...a l a libert y d u poeme , a se s immuniui s
multiples, au noble usage qu'il a le droit de faire de
toutes licences " ("L a Poisi e qu e j'aime " 582) .
Colette, who is searching for the authorit y t o write
without havin g he r effort s reduce d t o th e
patronizing epitaph of "feminine," distinguishes her
writing fro m bot h th e pur e poetr y o f Sido, whic h
she idealizes, and the so-called feminine lyricism of
the best-know n women poets of her day.
3
Colette viewed her craf t quit e differentl y
from th e public perception of feminine writing, and
she stressed the differences separatin g her from th e
stereotype o f the facile woman writer on more tha n
one occasion. In MesApprentissages, sh e compare s
the craft she learned from Willy to the sweeping up
of crumb s an d th e assemblin g o f broke n pieces .
Referring to Willy's habit of locking her in her room
to write, she explains "C'est a elle que je doi s mon
art le plus certain, qui n'est pas celu i d'ecrire, mais
l'art domestiqu e d e savoi r attendre, dissimuler, de
ramasser des miettes, reconstruire, recoller, redorer,
changer e n mieux-alle r l e pis-aller , perdr e e t
regagner dan s l e meme instan t l e gou t frivol e d e
vivre" (3 : 1032) . I n Pres de Colette, Mauric e
Goudeket confirms that Colette approached her ar t
like a tas k wit h "toute s le s vertu s d e l'artisa n
francais, l'humilite , l a patience, l'exigenc e enver s
soi, l e gout d e l'ouvrag e achevi, " adding tha t sh e
found the word "inspiration" to be among the mos t
suspect o f the French language (21) .
If Colett e aspire d t o separat e he r ow n
writing fro m the feminin e lyricism , then sh e coul d
only justify he r admiratio n fo r Picard' s poetry b y
insisting o n it s purit y throug h comparison s wit h
Sido, the model of the pur e poet . Picard's poverty,
her indifferenc e t o materia l success , an d he r
closeness t o th e natura l worl d ar e al l importan t
elements i n Colette' s positiv e assessmen t o f he r
friend's literar y talent. Thes e sam e elements clas h
dramatically wit h th e portrai t sh e paint s o f th e
neurotic and artificial poet Rende Vivien i n Le Pur
et I'impur. Wit h Picard , a s wit h Sido , Colette' s
differences fro m these women place her squarely on
the side of impurity. The Vivien portrait , however ,
represents an impure image of the femme de lettres
against whose dark image Colette appears in a purer
light. The terms remain vague, an d neither o f the m
adequately define s Colett e as a writer ; rather, th e
Picard and Vivien pieces put Colette in perspective
by showin g her reader s how sh e differ s fro m th e
two writer s representin g th e extreme s o f th e
pure-impure spectrum . Tha t is , sh e "proceed s b y
negation" t o defin e he r positio n b y tellin g he r
readers what she is not.
4
Colette's portrai t o f Vivie n bega n a s a
nine-page pamphlet written for the Amis d'Edouard
series publishe d i n 1928 , a landmar k yea r fo r
lesbian writin g that may hav e influence d Colette' s
decision t o writ e abou t th e sapphi c poe t wh o ha d
died two decade s earlier a t th e ag e o f 32. Colette
later adde d materia l t o th e portrait , essentiall y
rewriting i t to be incorporate d int o Cesplaisirs,..,
(1932) whose title she changed to Le Pur et I'impur
in 1941 . This book, which she believed would one
day b e considere d he r bes t work , i s a serie s o f
portraits an d anecdotes treating a wide spectrum of
sexual behaviors . Th e topi c obviousl y shift s th e
pure-impure discours e into another domain already
alluded t o i n La Naissance du jour wher e th e
"pur/impur" pairin g i s linke d t
o
"abstention/consommation." I t i s a curiou s book ,
narrated b y "Madam e Colette, " a journalist wh o
tries t o maintai n a n objectiv e narrativ e stanc e
despite he r obviou s resemblanc e t o an d
identification wit h th e character , Charlotte .
Comparing hersel f t o a spectato r whos e choic e
ringside seat allows easy acces s to the stage in case
she decides to join the performers, th e narrator als o
insists o n th e specia l qualit y o f he r
"hermaphrodisme mental " which permits her to se e
with th e eye s o f a woma n an d t o writ e with "un e
courte e t dure mai n d e jardinier " (3 : 589) . Onc e
again Colett e is on the margin , evading definition s
as she slip s in and out of set categories .
Colette's ow n ambiguous sexualit y i s no t
being stage d here , althoug h he r earlie r lesbia n
experiences linge r like a shadowy presenc e in the
wings. A s Elain e Mark s ha s noted , "Le Pur et
I'impur restates all the form s o f lesbianism and all
the narrative commentary o n women loving women
that appea r i n Colette's text s fro m 190 0 t o 1932 "
("Lesbian Intertextuality " 365) . Mark s argues that
"it i s as i f the narrato r wer e testin g hersel f agains t
the portrait s o f these women i n order t o determin e
whether o r no t sh e wa s a lesbian , i n orde r t o
determine th e limit s of her understandin g an d he r
compassion" ("Lesbia n Intertextuality " 367) .
Colette's portrai t o f Renee Vivie n i s onl y on e o f
several lesbia n portrait s include d i n Le Pur et
I'impur, but i t is by far the leas t sympatheti c i n that
it not onl y allows Colette t o test herself against a
lesbian, but also against another femmede lettres, as
she check s of f the traits that do not apply to her .
Colette firs t me t th e Britis h poe t aroun d
1902, about the sam e time a n inheritanc e allowe d
Vivien t o leav e Englan d and settl e permanently i n
Paris. Vivien , whos e rea l name was Paulin e Tarn,
had bee n largel y educate d a t Frenc h boardin g
schools. At a young age sh e had decided on French
as her literary language o f choice, and on poetry a s
her calling . A seriou s studen t of French prosody ,
she als o studie d classica l Greek s o that sh e coul d
translate Sappho' s poetr y int o French . Muc h o f
Vivien's ow n poetr y i s inspire d b y Sappho , an d
although critic s objecte d t o muc h o f Vivien' s
subject matter , the y praise d he r verse s fo r thei r
"purity." Th e tw o writer s gre w close r afte r
Colette's separatio n fro m Will y i n 1906 , whe n
Colette rente d a n apartmen t sharin g a courtyar d
with Vivien's . Thes e wer e Colette' s scandalou s
music hall years, whe n sh e dance d half-nake d an d
exchanged a shocking on-stage kiss with Missy. But
it is as an older, more "respectable" an d establishe d
writer, who has pu t her ow n notorious past behind
her, that she writes about Vivien .
In the shorte r 192 8 version of her Vivie n
portrait, Colette' s reminiscence s abou t the Britis h
expatriate poet are rather touching, and she plays up
the positiv e - Vivien' s dimple d smile , laughin g
mouth an d gentle eyes . Colett e never mentions he r
lesbianism, bu t whe n sh e rewrot e th e portrai t fo r
inclusion in Le Pur et I'impur (1932), the materia l
added wa s generall y negative, depictin g Vivien a s
a neurotic , oversexe d an d tragi c figur e whos e
lifestyle Colett e finds frankl y offensive . Sh e no t
only reject s Vivie n a s a sor t o f lesbia n Do n Jua n
whose indiscretio n i s shocking , bu t Colett e i s
completely revolted by the stiflin g decaden t deco r
of he r apartment , th e strang e exoti c foo d Vivie n
serves and the thinness o f the anorexic poet herself,
whom Colette describes a s starving for ten days s o
that sh e coul d fi t int o he r costum e fo r a tableau
vivant depicting the executio n o f Lady Jane Grey.
Colette's accoun t o f Vivien' s close d apartmen t i s
often quoted , but perhaps the imag e that leaves th e
most lastin g impression on Colette's readers is her
description o f Vivie n a s a condemne d Lad y Jan e
Grey, especially when we know that Vivien was t o
die only a few years later of an illness complicated
by the anorexia, alcoholism and drug abuse alluded
to in this portrait :
5
Elle itai t tre s joli e dan s so n costume ,
fardie, l'orbit e creuse , le s cheveu x libre s
sur un e ipaule , e t gai e ave c egarement .
Elle eu t encor e l a forc e d e figurer Jan e
Grey, le s main s li£es , l a nuque blanche ,
versant su r l e billo t u n flo t d e cheveu x
blonds, avan t d e tombe r su r l a scene ,
derriere l a toile de fond, en proie aux plus
tristes et aux plus violentes manifestation s
d'un empoisonnemen t d'alcool , aggrav e
par l'inanitio n et quelqu e 'doping'....
(3: 604 ; Ellipsis in original)
Colette sets Vivien u p a s a clear exampl e
of th e impur e b y emphasizin g th e unhealth y an d
artificial qualities of the poet whom she describes a s
exhibiting an immodest consideration for '"les sens'
et l a technique d u plaisir. " Colette i s repulsed b y
Vivien's thinnes s an d strongl y condemn s he r a s a
"Mme Combien-de-fois " for he r frank sexua l talk
which included "comptant su r ses doigts, nomman t
choses e t geste s par leu r nom " (3 : 607). I t i s no t
Vivien's sexual orientation that disturbs Colette here
however, it is her indiscretion. In a text that is about
sexuality, th e autho r o f Le Pur et I'impur goes t o
surprising lengths to say very little about it openly.
As Elain e Mark s ha s commented , "Th e narrato r
quite clearl y prefers , i n it s purity , th e unwritten ,
'half-spoken' women' s languag e o f l a Chevalier e
and he r grou p t o th e 'cynica l opinions ' an d th e
sentimental imitativ e poetr y o f Rene e Vivien "
("Lesbian Intertextuality " 367) . Th e polarit y o f
opposites, impure/pure , speech/silence ,
consumption/abstention, i s clearl y a t wor k i n
Colette's negative treatment of Vivien, who errs on
the sid e o f impurity , speec h an d consumption .
Colette, on the othe r hand , opt s for silence , as sh e
reproaches Vivie n fo r he r indiscretio n an d the n
prudishly refuse s t o repor t wha t sh e says . Wha t
Colette doe s no t sa y i n thi s boo k i s thu s a s
significant as what she says. Sherry Dranch refers t o
Le Pur et I'impur as a "veiled" text, characterized by
a censored style , ellipsis and metaphor i n which a
"clearly-stated unsaid , o r mor e precisel y o f a n
'inter-said [inter-dit: forbidden]' " provide s a
"unifying matri x fo r wha t appear s t o b e a
loosely-connected serie s o f stories " (177) . Wha t
Dranch read s a s a n effectiv e stylisti c device als o
serves to align Colette with the "pure " qualities sh e
so admire d i n he r mother . B y writing a boo k i n
which he r ow n sexualit y i s se t aside , an d silenc e
becomes a major elemen t o f her style , Colette opts
for silenc e an d abstentio n ove r "parole " an d
"consommation." Elaine Harris's stylistic analysis of
Colette's novels brings her to the conclusion that "la
grande qualit y d e l'ar t d e Colett e resid e dan s l a
quality d e so n silence " (201) . Mor e importantly ,
Harris relates silence/parole t o the paired attributes
of pur/impur an d abstention/consommation
characterizing Colette' s perceptio n o f he r
relationship to Sido .
The period in which Colette composed Le
Pur et I'impur coincide s wit h a flurr y o f writing
around the topic of her mother, a subject sh e did not
approach until ten years after Sido' s death. Colette' s
work reveal s a n increasin g identificatio n with th e
woman sh e set s up a s he r mode l o f purity a s sh e
discovers both how much she is becoming like he r
mother and the full meaning of Sido's legacy to her .
In he r introductio n t o La Maison de Claudine,
Colette explain s that the agin g proces s bring s he r
closer to Sido : "l a presence de celle qui, au lie u d e
trouver dan s la mort u n chemin pour s'eloigner , s e
fait mieu x connaitr e a mesure qu e j e vieillis... . I I
n'est pa s di t qu e j'ai e ddcouver t tou t c e qu'ell e
deposa e n moi" (2: 1090) . Harris takes Sido as th e
central figure in Colette's writing, without which "le
drame colettie n est inexplicable" (180), and argues
that the Sid o created o r recreated b y Colett e i n La
Naissance du jour "incarn e l a perfectio n ver s
laquelle ell e tend , Sid o es t e n quelqu e sort e l e
portrait qu e Colett e fai t d'elle-mem e mai s embelli
pour ressemble r a c e qu'ell e aurai t voul u etre "
(182). I would argue further tha t this identification
is reformulate d i n Le Pur et I'impur wher e th e
discrete journalis t "Madam e Colette " hold s u p
Rende Vivie n a s th e mode l fo r wha t sh e doe s no t
want to be because Vivien fall s on the impur e sid e
of eac h pairin g b y he r loos e tal k {parole) an d
sensual appetit e for pleasure (consommation).
Those familia r with Vivien's writin g and
her biograph y migh t objec t tha t Colette's portrai t
does no t see m t o matc h th e woma n the y hav e
imagined - th e poe t wh o praise s chastit y i n he r
verses an d whos e love r onc e complaine d tha t
Vivien wa s mor e arouse d b y poetr y tha n b y he r
caresses. Colette appears guilty of creating another
of what Elaine Marks refers t o as "imaginary Rende
Viviens," corroborating , i n effect, th e conclusion s
reached b y the right-wing nationalist critic Charles
Maurras, wh o als o classifie d Vivie n a s "impure "
because of her foreign origins, tainted romanticism
and th e "lesbia n risk " she an d othe r lesbia n poets
presented ('"Saph o 1900' " 186-87) . Colette' s
agenda, however , is different from that of Maurras.
By wha t sh e say s an d especially what sh e doe s not
say about the poet, Colette proceeds b y negation t o
condemn Vivie n a s impure , an d th e all-importan t
missing elemen t i s an y consideratio n o f Rene e
Vivien a s a writer. She devotes th e majority of her
Vivien chapte r i n Le Pur et I'impur to condemning
the poet' s impur e lifestyle , an d barel y mention s
Vivien's poetr y a t all , except t o dismis s i t a s a n
outdated imitatio n of Baudelaire . Colett e admit s
that she find s it refreshing that Vivien di d not talk
shop with her and hid her work in progress unde r a
pillow i f anyon e interrupte d he r whil e writing .
Colette approved of Vivien's habit of concealing the
books sh e gav e t o friend s i n basket s o f frui t o r
flowers. Sh e does mak e a point of mentioning th e
many letter s Vivie n wrot e t o he r onl y t o criticiz e
them for their childish tone which she claims would
strike her readers as insincere if she published them
(3: 598) . Colett e shape s he r reader' s sympathie s
against Vivie n b y labelin g he r immatur e an d
insincere, an d the n b y contrastin g Vivien' s frank
talk abou t sexua l pleasur e wit h he r sa d an d
inauthentic poetry "ou les 'amies' revent et pleurent
autant qu'elles s'y enlacent." Sh e also mentions th e
foreign qualit y o f Vivien' s poeti c mete r whic h
betrays he r British origins (3: 606).
If Colett e speak s s o littl e o f Vivie n th e
writer, it is because, sh e admits , she onl y began t o
find Vivie n interestin g after sh e was able to forge t
that Vivien wa s a poet: "Quan d commencais-je d e
pouvoir oublie r qu e Rene e Vivie n etai t poete ,
c'est-a-dire d e lu i t&noigner un intere t veritable?"
(3: 602) . Colette' s comments betra y he r infamou s
anti-intellectualism discusse d earlier , an d partl y
explain he r ambivalenc e abou t bein g labele d a
femme de lettres, an d th e difficult y sh e ha d
appreciating th e seriou s literar y sid e o f a n
intellectual write r suc h a s Rene e Vivien . Afte r
reading Colette' s portrai t o f Vivien , i t i s har d t o
believe tha t he r poetr y wa s acclaime d b y man y
well-known critic s wh o counte d Vivien' s verse s
among some of the "purest" eve r written in French.
Moreover, the modest attitude toward her work that
Colette records doe s no t hin t at how hardworking
and seriou s Vivie n wa s abou t he r literar y craft .
Charles-Brun, Vivien's Greek professor and literary
assistant, onc e commente d tha t i t wa s Vivien' s
perfectionism tha t eventuall y kille d her . H e
witnessed he r tireles s attentio n t o detai l a s sh e
wrote an d rewrot e he r poems , notin g "J *ai de s
manuscrits d'elle ou sa main a propose sep t ou huit
variantes, entre lesquelles nous avons choisi" (53).
The discrepanc y betwee n th e poe t Charles-Brun
admired an d the on e Colett e would hav e u s know
can b e explained by Colette's efforts to create a new
image of the woman writer for herself. Her portrait
of Vivie n detour s he r reader s from a seriou s
consideration of Vivien's poetry to focus instead on
the impur e aspect s o f th e poet' s lifestyle . B y
contrast, Colett e emerge s o n th e sid e o f purity ,
having learne d t o incorporat e Sido' s lesso n o n
abstinence an d silence into her writing after all .
M y searc h fo r purit y end s then , wher e
Colette literally began, with Sido. Although "le pur"
has no t yielde d u p it s secrets , I believ e tha t th e
images i n Colette's crystal ball hav e allowe d us a
glimpse o f ho w sh e manipulate s th e "pur " an d
"impur" in relation to women poets in order to forge
a new and positive identity for herself as a woman
writer. Not only is she redeeming herself in the eyes
of her beloved Sido, but she is actively fostering her
career b y distancin g hersel f from th e negativ e
stereotypes o f woma n writers , an d especiall y
"poetesses feminines" that existed at the turn of the
century to create a new place for herself as a writer
that defie d conventiona l categories . Sh e was , i n
effect, alterin g the rules of literary play, according
to Elaine Marks, "by refusing to abide by the rule s
that govern the production of accepted and expected
meanings" ("Celebrating Colette" x). As admirable
as this was for later generations o f women writers,
one o f the unfortunat e consequence s o f Colette' s
personal agend a wa s tha t i t kep t he r from
appreciating wha t sh e ha d i n common with othe r
women writer s suc h a s Rene e Vivien , wh o als o
wanted to break free of gender stereotypes an d have
their wor k take n seriously . Th e shadow y an d
ambiguous images in the depths of Colette's crystal
ball did not warn her that the "difference " she wa s
cultivating could onl y be measured a t the expens e
of othe r women, and in so doing, she was actually
perpetuating some of the stereotypes sh e had hoped
to escape .
ENDNOTES
1. When discussing Sido, it must be understood that we are talking about the character of Colette's mother as she is constructed in
Colette's texts, and not the actual person.
2. Helene Picard's poetry includes La Feuille morte (1903) , L'Instant etemel (1907) which was awarded a prize by the Academie
Francaise, Les Fresques (1908), Nous n'irons plus au bois, souvenirs d'enfance (1911), Les Lauriers sont coupes (1913), Ram
(1918), Province et capucines (1920), and Pour un mauvais garcon (1927). She also wrote a travel journal and a novel, Sabbat (1923)
which Colette included in her "Collection Colette" published by Ferenczi. Picard was named "poete-laureate" by the Femina jury in 1904,
and she also received a Prix Botta for her work as a whole in 1920, and a Prix de la Renaissance in 1928 for Pour un mauvais gargon.
3. For a discussion of the feminine label applied by critics to Noailles's poetry, see Tama Lea Engelking, "Anna de Noailles Oui et Non:
The Countess, the Critics and lapoesie feminine," Women'sStudies 23 (1994): 95-110.
4. This is a stylistic device characteristic of Colette's writing. See Elaine Harris's analysis of her style, especially pp. 216-217 where she
concludes "II nous semble qu'elle est passee-mattre dans 1'art de la non-definition, elle definit I'amour en decrivant ce qu'il n'est pas."
5. For information on Renee Vivien's life, see Jean-Paul Goujon's biography Tes Blessures sont plus douces que leurs caresses; Vie de
Renee Vivien (Paris: Regine Deforges, 1986). Goujon has also edited a volume of Vivien's collected poems based on the 1934 text
published by Lemerre: Oeuvre poetique complete de Renee Vivien (1877-1910), ed . and preface Jean-Paul Goujon (Paris: Regine
Deforges, 1986). This volume contains Etudes et preludes(1901), Cendres et poussieres(1902), Evocations (1903), Sapho (1903), La
Venus des aveugles (1904), Les Kitharedes (1904), A I'heure des mains jointes(1906), Sillages (1908), Flambeaux eteints (190
un coin de violettes (1910), Le vent des vaisseaux (1910), Haillons (1910). In addition to her poetry, Vivien published one novel, two
collections of prose poems, a collection of short stories, and a biography of Anne Bolyn which she left unfinished.
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