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the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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181<br />

patrlarchal culture, we see here a matriarchal lmposltion <strong>of</strong><br />

'VlrtUeS' on mo<strong>the</strong>rhood<br />

Wlth mo<strong>the</strong>rhood belng imposed on<br />

<strong>the</strong> women as <strong>the</strong>lr Sole occupatlon and ~ t s elevation lnro a<br />

religious Cult, One wonders if Gllman 1s not agaln<br />

ucdermlnlng <strong>the</strong> Status <strong>of</strong> women<br />

By movlng mo<strong>the</strong>rs from <strong>the</strong><br />

domestlc sp'?ere to <strong>the</strong> soclal sphere, Gllman attempts to<br />

move women from <strong>the</strong> marglns <strong>of</strong> androcentric culture to <strong>the</strong><br />

eencer <strong>of</strong> a gynocentrlc socieFf, but <strong>in</strong> dolnq so, 1s she<br />

st111 successful <strong>in</strong> br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> reai experience <strong>of</strong><br />

mo<strong>the</strong>rhood? By ralslng it <strong>in</strong>to a c-lt, 1s she zot taklng<br />

mo<strong>the</strong>rhood fur<strong>the</strong>r away from reality?<br />

4.12.0. The utoplan wrlters cons~dered here are more<br />

analytical than predlctlve In <strong>the</strong>lr representations, <strong>the</strong>y<br />

examme <strong>the</strong> nat31re <strong>of</strong> contemporary gender ldeology along<br />

wlth 1ts effect on <strong>the</strong> family<br />

Thelr speculatlse flctlon<br />

uses both posltlve and negatrve Images <strong>of</strong> motnerhood to<br />

denouzce patrlarchal control <strong>of</strong> blrch<br />

Regardless <strong>of</strong><br />

whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> 1nd1vld'~al writer chooses to portray negative or<br />

pos;tlve aspects cf pregnancy, eacn cholce emphasizes <strong>the</strong><br />

need to alter patriarchy's penchant for transfomlng women<br />

lcto powerless birth machlnes<br />

4.13 .O. Ir. flne, reproduction - a~dlng techno;ogy, whlle<br />

considered by certa<strong>in</strong> femlnlsts as a means <strong>of</strong> liberat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

women frsm <strong>the</strong>lr reproductive role, is, on <strong>the</strong> contrary,

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