Exploring Submission

Submission (Entre Ses Mains) by Marthe Blau

I began reading this novel with excitement, optimism and intrigue, the way that I approach all of the novels that are potentially of interest to my PhD material. I start by reading the book straight through in one sitting. I try to focus on the plot and the way that it represents female masochism. In the back of my mind there is always the glimmer of hope that one day I will find a book where the protagonist is a strong woman, who chooses to submit and can sustain this kind of relationship whilst maintaining her own independence. A woman should have her friends, work, family and the D/s relationship but I am yet to find a novel that portrays such a woman. [If anyone knows of one, do let me know!]

Initially I found the prose to be incredibly strong and enjoyed the way that I became absorbed in its atmosphere. I felt as though I was inhabiting the woman's mindset because the sex scenes were so vivid that one could easily imagine what was happening. This also helps the reader to understand her perspective in the relationship. This excitement continued in terms of my PhD when I found a reference to Vanessa Duries's novel Le Lien (The Ties that Bind) as at the time I'd planned on including writing on this book for my PhD. My positive feelings for the book ends here.

My main frustration with the novel focuses around the depiction of the protagonist herself, who risks her bourgeois life (husband, child, good job as a lawyer) for the sake of the adventurous lover who gives her orders. In response she becomes dependent, stops eating, risks her job and can't concentrate on anything other than him. A case of 'need' and obsessive fixation on someone else. It shows this kind of relationship to be destructive to any sense of a woman having her own life and responsibilities. Perhaps it is because I am seeking to find a positive depiction of heterosexual female submission that fuels my dislike for this book but I do wonder what it the point of writing yet another book that shows a woman being troubled by her sexual desires and thus unable to function in society anymore. Does the existence of all these books suggest that it isn't possible to represent the kind of relationship where one submits but still maintains their own identity? Have any novels been written that fall into this remit?