| Abstract [eng] |
For many centuries maternity was considered as a magic woman’s state shrouded in mystery and rituals. In Lithuanian folklore the position of mother is held in the greatest regard (in Lithuanian folklore the goddess Žemyna is the embodiment of the Mother Earth). According to the Christian family traditions, the woman has to sacrifice herself for the sake of her husband and children, following the example of the self – sacrificing Virgin Mary. The society interpreted that as the only way of woman’s fulfilment. Such woman – mother image is often represented in the men - artists’ prose. Nevertheless, the interpretation has changed. The reflection of his can also be found in the literature, especially in women’s literature, where a woman herself speaks about maternity and womanhood. Feminism encouraged these changes as well. The aim of the analysis is to convey how the attitude towards maternity has changed, how a woman herself perceives and realises a different woman’s position, have been chosen, in the canter of which there is a woman – mother. The works are chosen and analysed in chronological order: from the beginning of the XX century to the XXI century. As a result, the maternity theme is considered in the work in historical and sociocultural aspect, accenting woman’s experience and female writing. In the analysis hermeneutical interpretation and feministic approach are used, on the basis of essential principle of feminism - woman’s reading of the literary work. In the first part of the analysis the traditional maternity is presented (Šatrijos Ragana Sename dvare). In this story the first attempts to protest against in social life are revealed; nevertheless, maternity remains an idealised based on Christian ideology. The second part of the work – the analysis of the soviet woman’s image (Dalia Urnevičiūtė Revanšas). The creation of identity of the woman, who becomes more modern, is conveyed. In this literary work there is a distinct contrasting depiction of maternity: the traditional mother is opposed to the modern mother. The opposition of the woman and other woman, as well as maternity and womanhood is emphasised. The intensity of the mother and her child relationship is revealed in the third part (Vanda Juknaitė Stiklo šalis). However, maternity is complicated, disintegrated awing to her inner experiences and relationship with her husband. In the end, the complete maternity demystification and the revelation of birth mystery is analysed (Ugnė Barauskaitė Dešimt). There the mother first all is a woman. That is one of the first novels in the Lithuanian literature that conveys the other – modern maternity and its importance for the woman nowadays. The conception of maternity and womanhood dominates in all parts. The analysis with regard to time distance provides a new possibility to compare this one of the most authentic woman’s states – the state of being a mother. |
