Annie Ernaux, France’s first female Nobel Laureate in Literature, published ”The Young Man” a few months before receiving the prestigious award in the fall of 2022. This concise novella revisits her relationship with a man thirty years her junior in the 1990s. With raw and candid prose, Ernaux details their sexual encounters, his jealousy, her introduction of him to the cultural scene, and his modest lifestyle, characterized by poor table manners and simple pleasures like football. Upon the book’s release, Ernaux explicitly requested that the media refrain from investigating the identity of her former lover. However, he has now come forward: Philippe Vilain, a 55-year-old author and literary scholar, reveals his perspective on their affair in his newly published book, aptly titled ”Mauvais élève” (A Bad Pupil).
Vilain contextualizes his relationship with Ernaux within a long lineage of age-gap romances in French literary history. He cites notable examples such as George Sand, Colette, Marguerite Yourcenar, Simone de Beauvoir, and Marguerite Duras, all of whom experienced relationships with younger men. For Vilain, the past relationship remains complex. While he continues to admire Ernaux’s writing, he harbors resentment towards his former partner, which he now expresses in the wake of the #MeToo movement. In an interview with L’Express, Vilain criticizes Ernaux’s portrayal of him in ”The Young Man,” arguing that while not outright false, it is condescending and one-sided. He takes issue with being depicted as a ”plouc” (roughly translated as a hick or unsophisticated country bumpkin) and contends that Ernaux deliberately omitted crucial information, particularly his established status as a literature student with a keen interest in authors like Marguerite Duras at the time of their first encounter at the Café de Flore in Paris.
Vilain’s ”Mauvais élève” provides a counter-narrative to Ernaux’s account, offering his perspective on their dynamic. While Ernaux doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the transactional aspect of their relationship in ”The Young Man,” Vilain feels his side of the story hasn’t been fairly represented. Ernaux admits to providing financial support and travel opportunities in exchange for the pleasure and re-experiencing of youthful passion that Vilain offered. She acknowledges the power imbalance, describing herself as being in a dominant position, albeit a fragile one within the context of a love affair. This admission of a power dynamic, coupled with the significant age gap, forms the crux of Vilain’s critique.
In her novella, Ernaux framed their arrangement as a mutually agreed upon exchange, where she offered financial support and access to cultural experiences, and he offered companionship and the rekindling of a youthful passion. She saw it as a fair trade, with herself setting the terms. However, Vilain contests this presentation, feeling his intellectual background and contributions to the relationship were minimized, reducing him to a stereotype based on his socioeconomic background. He argues that the power dynamic, while acknowledged by Ernaux, was not fully explored from his perspective, leaving him feeling misrepresented and objectified.
”Mauvais élève,” while not detailing abuse of a minor (Vilain was in his twenties during the relationship), offers a compelling perspective on the uneven power dynamics within relationships, a theme that resonates with the ongoing discussions sparked by the #MeToo movement. Vilain’s book highlights the complexities of such relationships, suggesting that the exploitation of power dynamics can occur regardless of gender. He argues that using status and wealth to secure relationships with younger individuals is problematic, regardless of whether the perpetrator is male or female. This challenges the traditional narrative of older men exploiting younger women and expands the conversation to encompass situations where women in positions of power may exert similar influence.
The contrasting narratives presented by Ernaux and Vilain highlight the subjective nature of memory and the challenges of representing a shared experience. While Ernaux focuses on her rediscovery of youthful passion and the transactional nature of their arrangement, Vilain emphasizes the perceived misrepresentation of his character and the minimization of his intellectual contributions. The juxtaposition of these accounts provides a nuanced and multifaceted exploration of age-gap relationships, prompting reflection on the inherent power imbalances and the potential for exploitation, regardless of gender. The controversy surrounding these two books underscores the importance of considering multiple perspectives and the ongoing need for open and honest conversations about power dynamics in intimate relationships.
