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the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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THE USTEETICS OF MOTHERHOOD<br />

. Women's relation to <strong>the</strong> symhollc is somewhat<br />

different from men's <strong>women's</strong> narrative will<br />

enact a somewhat different process<br />

- Joan Lld<strong>of</strong>f<br />

5.1.0. Gender plays an important role In determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />

subject or style Fiction written from a self-consclaus<br />

femlnlst perspective encodes an Ideology whlch 1s In dlrect<br />

opposltlon to <strong>the</strong> domlnant patriarchal gender ldeology<br />

Opposlng sexlst dlscourse whlch deflnes, describes and<br />

dellmlts how men and women must act In order to be<br />

considered mascul<strong>in</strong>e and femln<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> femrnlst dlscourse <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> texts under study challenges <strong>the</strong> naturallsatlon <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

exlstlng aascullnlst discourse Bemlnlst dlscourse<br />

<strong>in</strong>fluences not or-ly <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>matlc but also <strong>the</strong> styllstlc<br />

aspects <strong>of</strong> a llterary plece In addltlon to <strong>the</strong> ideological<br />

complexltles, fem<strong>in</strong>lst writers perfon aes<strong>the</strong>tic manoeuvres,<br />

utlllzlng <strong>the</strong>lr marglnallsed or Inferlor posltlon as a<br />

vantage polnt ln order to stow how patriarchy legitlmlses<br />

lts <strong>in</strong>stitutions Whe<strong>the</strong>r toid In <strong>the</strong> reallst or fantastic<br />

mode, <strong>the</strong> fernmist texts reveal how women are distanced from<br />

power structures <strong>of</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant culture -- physlologlcally<br />

through <strong>the</strong>lr role as chlld-bearers, soclologlcally through<br />

<strong>the</strong>lr role as chlld-rearers, and psychically through symbols

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