Queneau-we always treat women too well

This novel was a fucking riot and I enjoyed it a lot. The language is smart, witty and sharp-it definitely works to compliment Queneau's humor. I think it can be read as a feminist novel written by a man in that it pokes fun at the cultural double standards that we create based on gender. The Irish rebels are of a weak sort because they are constantly stressing the importance of being "correct," when their entire mission is to lead a rebellious violent uprising (which makes you wonder why gendered 'correctness' is even a priority in a time of war/conflict). On the other hand, we have Gertie, who uses her sexual power to control the rebels while fulfilling her own sensual desires. She is more of a rebel than the rebels themselves. I think that Queneau exposes the shortcomings of gendered thinking/generalizations by having the rebels fail their mission because they are constantly trying to 'treat Gertie correctly,' when Gertie herself is in no need of a man's idea of 'correct' treatment since she is not a powerless character or victim of the rebellion, but is rather, the empowered hero of the novel. The men's attempts to treat women differently (as powerless/victims/naive virgins) is exactly what leads to their ultimate demise. I really like Queneau's style because it is unforgiving and uncensored.

I have a few thoughts in terms of relating this back to Foucault's author function. Since this was first published in the 40's under the pseudonym of Sally Mara, readers believed the author was actually a woman, which must have stirred the waters. I wonder if readers initially dismissed the novel because they thought the author was a woman, only to later find out it was a man. It seems like an instance where relying too much on the author's individuality would unfairly/inaccurately determine what the reader thought of the material. I think it's interesting when the rebels are discussing whether or not Gertie will expose their 'incorrectness' and they say, "Those aren't the things a young lady can talk about. She'll keep quiet, or she may even say we're heroes...(139). I found this interesting knowing that the novel was initially published by 'Sally Mara,' but actually written by Queneau. I wonder of Queneau is purposefully pointing out that a woman could not actually talk about sex (which is why a man must pose as a woman)...and if so...the novel doesn't seem as powerful as I first thought in terms of being feminist...