Annie Ernaux's "Simple Passion"

I cannot find the other Annie Ernaux text I wanted you to read - if I find it Monday I will send it as a pdf file. I know this is last minute but it is short and you will not have to write about it.

For “Simple Passion,” consider the possible topics (please use quotes from the texts to support your argument):

1. The beginning of the novel with the X-rated movie. What is so shocking here? The graphic description of sex? Something else? Why does Ernaux say at the end of this: "It occurred to me that writing should also aim for that - the impression conveyed by sexual intercourse, a feeling of anxiety and stupefaction, a suspension of moral judgment?" How does this statement relate to what you think Ernaux attempts to do in this autofiction?

2. Describe the narrator's association with temporality. What does time signify for her? Does she live "in the present"? How does she treat the present, past and future? Why is this significant? How does this relate to her relationship with A? (Or, how does her relationship with time relate both to the theme of presence/absence found here and ideas of love/desire we have discussed this semester?)

3. This is in large part a text about writing. Notice the times in the novel where the narrator mentions the act of writing. Why write this autofiction? What does the narrator hope to accomplish? How might this relate to the notion of autobiography (we can assume that the narrator is Ernaux herself)? Or in other words - why have the DESIRE to write this?

4. The text's take on gender. What images of the main characters (the narrator and A) do we have here? Is this problematic? Is this a realistic portrayal of relationships? Too over-the-top, frustrating? Why? (Or, why would a supposedly "modern, enlightened and forward-thinking female writer" write such a text that seems to portray women in a seemingly negative light?)

5. What does the title "Simple Passion" imply? What about "simple" ant "passion" when taken separately? How might these meanings relate to the text?

6. What insights does the book chapter bring to our discussion of love and desire?