The representation of gender issues in Le Calvaire and Le Journal d’une femme de chambre by Octave Mirbeau Masculinism, a departure from anarchism

If Mirbeau can be sensitive to the female cause and stage rather modern heroines, he nevertheless remains prisoner of a masculinist discourse that prevents him developping a radical critique of patriarchy. In this article, we will try to identify the persistence of such a discourse in Le Calvaire and Le Journal d’une femme de chambre, published fourteen years apart. We will also see how the representations of gender that the two works shape constitute a departure from the libertarian speech of the author.