| Abstract [eng] |
The Master thesis goes in depth about the expression of motherhood in the novels of the Lithuanian writer Karolė Pažėraitė (1903–1988). The main research method is the feminist literary criticism. The thesis has three objectives: to explore the features of feminist literary criticism, to investigate the theme of motherhood in the field of feminism, highlighting the phenomenon of the death mother, and to show the diversity of expression of it in the selected novels. For the study of maternal expression – these works were selected: Nusidėjėlė (1936), Liktūnas (1948) and Svetimi vėjai (1982). The aim of the thesis is to use the aforementioned method to determine how the author reveals the mother’s side as part of women’s identities through different situations. This study is unique in regards that it focuses on an atypical representation of motherhood (the death mother). Moreover, the work of the chosen author, Karolė Pažėraitė, has not been examined in any of the other scientific research papers. The author’s Karolė Pažėraitė's work contrasts with the stereotypical imagery of motherhood in the 20th century literature (a tender and unconditionally devoted mother). The author's work reflects the plethora of expressions when it comes to motherhood such as harshness, severity and hesitation. In more than one case it may give the impression the author is depicting the death mother, but a closer look reveals that she has opted to underline a more realistic side – it expresses them in both positive and negative light in relation to their bond with their youngsters and their new role in life. Whilst showcasing different cases the writer additionally does not shy away from depicting the good side of motherhood with occasional conflict. This reveals that the subjective understanding of motherhood cannot be entirely positive in principle. In all three novels, the protagonists who assume the role of mothers undergo a personal transformation. The author has taken an even bolder step and included the subject of abortion in two of the novels, which was highly controversial in the first half of the 20th century. It can be stated that the author has chosen to portray mothers in a feministic way – abolishing the established patriarchal attitudes and proving how complex the expression of motherhood really is as it depends on the woman's own experience, social and financial status, as well as the environment and the time. |
