It’s Interesting to see Colette being used as part of the larger cultural narrative against oppression given how very different a cultural narrative her life would produce depending on what part you wanted to tell.Mr Sheldrake wrote: ↑Mon Oct 15, 2018 6:12 pmGreat chemistry between Keira Knightley as Colette and Dominic West as her philandering, charismatic scoundrel of a husband lends to a liveliness rarely found in costume biopics. Interesting that Colette liberates herself (early 20th century) and reaps the rewards, in relation to the curious self-effacement (late 20th century) of Glenn Close in The Wife, both facing similar situations (hubby unfairly gets the literary credit), and playing in adjoining theaters at my multiplex.
She’s being used as a feminist hero, striving for autonomy and recognition against a controlling, egotistical husband using her to add to his own celebrity. And indeed Colette’s brave and unprecedented acts of personal independence are rightly admirable.
But in a different context, Colette comes across as predatory in her sexuality, for example seducing her 16 year old step son and carrying on with him so torridly that the family had to scheme to get him out from under her grasp. That would furnish a very different narrative altogether.
So, yeah, Colette the person is fascinating, impressive, inspiring, and often very unlikeable, even repellant. She can provoke contradictory responses in you. Colette the writer is a genius, though, undoutably.