Medusa's Laugh

byHélène Cixous, Eric Prenowitz (Translator)

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Write! Writing is for you, you are for you, your body is for you, take it.

First published in 1975, Medusa’s Laugh represented a defining moment for French feminism. In this landmark essay, feminist theorist and philosopher Hélène Cixous coined the term écriture féminine (or ‘feminine writing’), calling for a ‘feminine mode’ of writing. Allowing women to claim authority in the face of systematic oppression, she imagines this new mode of writing to be defined by a generous, open attitude to otherness and distinct from patriarchal models of communication. Part philosophical treatise, part political manifesto, Medusa’s Laugh is a clarion call to write – for ourselves and of ourselves – and is one of the most important works of second-wave feminism.

Translated by Eric Prenowitz.

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About Hélène Cixous

Born in Oran, Algeria, in 1937, Hélène Cixous is a major figure in French literature, feminist theory and thought. In 1969, her debut novel Dedans won the prestigious Prix Médicis. However, she is best known for her seminal 1975 essay Le Rire de la Méduse (Medusa's Laugh), which is one of the most frequently read, quoted and translated works of second-wave French feminism. Her concept of écriture féminine ('feminine writing') encourages women to explore the possibilities and freedoms of their sexual identity. She has been a professor of literature and literary theory since the 1960s and, in 1974, she co-founded Europe's first doctoral program in Women’s Studies.
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