The transformation of the figure of a maid in three adaptations of The Diary of a Chambermaid by Octave Mirbeau

Abstract

This article discusses three adaptations of the novel Le Journal d’une femme de chambre (The Diary of a Chambermaid) by Octave Mirbeau, published in 1900, by Jean Renoir in 1946, by Luis Buñuel in 1964 and by Benoît Jacquot in 2015. It examines the effect of the time and, to some degree, the places where these films were made, on the representation of the characters and stories adapted by the respective directors. It is particularly interested in the transformation of the main character, Célestine, her labour and her sexuality, and the gender dynamics in the respective films, as reflection of the dominant discourses about gender roles pertaining to the times these films were made. It devotes most attention to the most recent film, due to the heaviest intertextual baggage which it carries and also given this adaptation has the most relevance to contemporary issues about women’s work and social position.