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the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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INTRODUCTION : PROBLEllATICS OP XOTEERBOOD<br />

I' m not queetionlng maternal love.. . I'm<br />

question<strong>in</strong>g maternal <strong>in</strong>stlnct<br />

- Elisabeth Bad<strong>in</strong>ter<br />

1.1.0. The <strong>women's</strong> movement has touched <strong>the</strong> llves <strong>of</strong> many<br />

women, radically transfomlng <strong>the</strong> nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>lr everyday<br />

experiences<br />

Insplred by <strong>the</strong>se changes, femlnlst <strong>the</strong>orists<br />

and creatlve wrlters are develop<strong>in</strong>g crltlques <strong>of</strong> established<br />

lnstltutlons and old social orders, challeng<strong>in</strong>g long-<br />

standlng assumptlons about social structures and <strong>women's</strong><br />

positlon In <strong>the</strong>m<br />

Especlally durlny <strong>the</strong> second half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>twentieth</strong> <strong>century</strong>, women have been strivlng to contest <strong>the</strong>se<br />

systems <strong>of</strong> power developed by patriarchy<br />

They seek to<br />

explaln why women contlnue to be marglnallsed and reveal how<br />

flxed assumptlons about an essential female nature have<br />

hlstorlcally shaped all aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>women's</strong> lives,<br />

lnfluenclng <strong>the</strong>lr psychological, physical and soclal well-<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g<br />

1.1.1. AS a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> emerglng femlnlst awareness,<br />

<strong>women's</strong> famlllal roles were <strong>the</strong> flrst to be questioned - a<br />

revlslon/re-vlslon <strong>of</strong> femlnlne stereotypes be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> logical<br />

outcome <strong>of</strong> such an awareness<br />

The patriarchally-dictated.<br />

long-exlstlng stereotypes <strong>of</strong> woman as a passive, docile and

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