Ce mémoire présente une étude genrée du roman En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule de l´auteur Édouard Louis. L´oeuvre se construit comme un récit autobiographique dans lequel le narrateur décrit la construction de sa propre identité, celle d´un homme homosexuel, dans un environnement provincial enfermé dans des valeurs traditionnelles et patriarcales. En utilisant les outils théoriques offerts par le domaine des études de genre (Gender Studies), nous allons décomposer la notion de masculinité exprimée dans l´oeuvre en nous focalisant sur la signification et les valeurs accordées à la virilité. L’objectif de ce mémoire consiste à dévoiler comment l´image idéalisée de l´homme viril constitue le fondement de l’identité masculine, fonctionnant à la fois comme la pierre angulaire de la domination masculine, mais, également, du processus de marginalisation de l´individu homosexuel. / This thesis presents a gendered study of the novel En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule, [The end of Eddy] by the author Édouard Louis. In his novel the author autobiographically describes not only the development of his own identity, being a homosexual man, but also the rural environment of his childhood, which is defined by the values of the patriarchal system. The goal of this thesis is to reveal how the idealized image of the virile man emerges in the novel and how it constitutes the basis of a gendered role, which is expressed through male domination and the marginalization of the homosexual individual. In our work, we will thus for this purpose, examine the notion of masculinity expressed in the novel by emphasizing the meaning of virility. Using the theoretical tools offered to us by the field of Gender Studies, we will analyze how virility is expressed through the narrative and its creative role as well as its an active part in justifying male dominance in relation to the patriarchal system and to homosexuality.

Sammanfattning   Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att studera maskulinitetsnormer i En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule, den franska författaren Édouard Louis debutroman, med utgångspunkt i R. W. Connells maskulina hierarkisystem och maskulinitetsforskning av bland andra Michael Kimmel och Sonya Rose. Romanen, som är självbiografisk, skildrar en homosexuell pojkes uppväxt i en liten by i den franska arbetarklassen. I min uppsats analyserar jag hur hans omgivning förhåller sig till de maskulinitetsnormer som råder i byn, samt vilka överträdelser från normerna som sker. Genom överträdelserna tydliggörs vilka normer som är rådande. Uppenbart blir att det maskulina hyllas och det feminina förtrycks. Romanen bekräftar i stort sett Connells hierarkiuppdelning, den är full av maskulinitetsnormer och män som hyllar det hegemoniska idealet. Resultatet av min analys visar att alla män i romanen är offer för maskulinitetsnormerna, oavsett var i hierarkin de befinner sig, eftersom normerna är destruktiva och begränsar deras livsmöjligheter.

This study investigates the impact of masculinity norms on the male and female characters in the novel En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule (2014) by Édouard Louis and seeks to understand how these norms affect their relations. The study is using the theories of Raewyn Connell and Simone de Beauvoir to answer the main research question. The findings show that the masculinity norms have an effect on men’s options regarding education and employment, and by extension, their quality of life because of their reluctance towards medicine. Moreover, the masculinity norms keep homosexual men in a subordinate position. The same norms affect women’s liberation and reduce their opportunities to work outside the household, the norms also affect their relations to other women. In conclusion, the findings show that the prevailing masculinity norms have a negative impact on life of both men and women in the book, and their relations. The findings also shows that the masculinity norms maintain women in a subordinate position.