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the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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daughter and her wrlt<strong>in</strong>g and while mio<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> text, she<br />

enters <strong>in</strong>to a lov<strong>in</strong>g and reciprocal relationship with <strong>the</strong><br />

o<strong>the</strong>r, to let <strong>the</strong> daughter too tell her own story In her<br />

relatlon to Pique, she f<strong>in</strong>ally reconciles <strong>the</strong> confllctlng<br />

claims <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r and self, <strong>of</strong> belng a mo<strong>the</strong>r and an artist,<br />

<strong>the</strong> confllct at <strong>the</strong> heart <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> female Kunstlerroman<br />

5.2.6. Llke The Div<strong>in</strong>ers, The Millstone ~llustrates that,<br />

besldes belng wrltten, women do write as mo<strong>the</strong>rs, and that<br />

<strong>the</strong>lr wrlt<strong>in</strong>g can be fur<strong>the</strong>red ra<strong>the</strong>r than merely impeded by<br />

<strong>the</strong>lr mo<strong>the</strong>rhood The novels refute <strong>the</strong> el<strong>the</strong>r / or <strong>the</strong>ory<br />

wrltlng or mo<strong>the</strong>rhood, work or chlld -- whlch imply that as<br />

long as her mo<strong>the</strong>rly capacltles are put to use, a mo<strong>the</strong>r<br />

does not need to wrlte But both Laurence and Drabble drlve<br />

home <strong>the</strong> polnt that creatlvlty through reproductlon alone 1s<br />

not an end ;n Itself, women should explore o<strong>the</strong>r forms <strong>of</strong><br />

self-expression too Mo<strong>the</strong>rlnq and creatlve writlng are not<br />

mutually exclusive areas In Drabble's novels, Jerusalem<br />

<strong>the</strong> Golden, The Waterfall and The Millstone, <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>rs who<br />

wrlte have an unproblematic, a;most Ideal relatlonshrp to<br />

<strong>the</strong>lr chlldren. In The Millstone, Rosamund 1s able to write<br />

better and successfully complete her <strong>the</strong>sls after her chlld<br />

1s born Yet <strong>the</strong> novel leaves thls question open to debate<br />

Can a creatlve woman wlth chlldren have a satisfy<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

permanent relationship wlth a man7

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