Questioning Accountability in Contemporary Writing: Marcela Iacub's Investigative Journalism and Its Backlash

ABSTRACT

This article studies Marcela Iacub's unexpected and provocative engagement with the DSK affair, focusing on her discussion of the idea of “credibility.” Firstly, we draw on Une société de violeurs and Belle et Bête in order to problematize Iacub's conception of the “credible victim.” Secondly, we discuss Christine Angot's strongly negative reaction to Belle et Bête, which poses the question of credibility in regards to female experience and the female literary voice. Considering that works by women are so often conflated with the personal lives of their authors, the debates to which they give rise are telling of how the notions of authorship and artistic value are defined and defended. The article aims to answer the following question: What are the social implications and political motivations of Iacub's writing and Angot's biting critique?

KEYWORDS:

• Marcela Iacub
• Dominique Strauss-Kahn
• Christine Angot
• autofiction
• credibility
• atteinte à la vie privée

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eftihia Mihelakis

Dr. Eftihia Mihelakis is Assistant Professor in the Department of French and Modern Languages, and affiliated to the Gender and Women's Studies Program at Brandon University. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Université de Montréal. Her first book, La Virginité en question ou les jeunes filles sans âge (2017), was recently published by the Presses de l'Université de Montréal.

Ania Wroblewski

Dr. Ania Wroblewski is a postdoctoral researcher at Université du Québec à Montréal. Her first book, La Vie des autres. Sophie Calle et Annie Ernaux, artistes hors-la-loi (2016), was a finalist for the Canada Prize in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2017 and the Prix du meilleur livre de l'APFUCC 2017.