New Books in Literary Studies Kathryn Robson, "Beyond the Happy Ending: Imagining Happiness in Contemporary French Women's Writing and Film" (Liverpool UP, 2025)
Oct 22, 2025
Kathryn Robson, a Reader in French at Newcastle University, explores happiness in contemporary French women's writing and film. She examines the complexities of defining happiness and critiques its representations in consumer culture and social media. Robson discusses how intimacy, migration, and queerness challenge traditional notions of happiness while highlighting the role of aging in rethinking joy. By weaving in diverse narratives, she advocates for a more inclusive understanding of happiness, addressing both its limitations and potential.
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Happiness Is A Serious Cultural Thread
- Happiness is a pervasive cultural theme that matters even in texts focused on trauma or suffering.
- Robson argues women's writing and film rework coercive happiness narratives to open more inclusive possibilities.
Definition Fails; Narratives Matter
- Definitions of happiness are contested and messy, making a single definition reductive.
- Robson tracks intersecting sociocultural narratives instead of enforcing one fixed meaning.
Theory: Stickiness, Cruel Optimism, Crisis
- Robson leans on Sarah Ahmed and Lauren Berlant to critique social models that trap people with promised happiness.
- She blends Ahmed's 'stickiness' with Berlant's 'cruel optimism' and crisis ordinariness to read texts differently.
