Womanism as a Method of Literary Text Interpretation

300 Pages·2013·1.51 MB·English

Womanism as a Method of Literary Text Interpretation: A Study of
Emergent Women’s Images under Religious Structures in Selected Works
of Heinrich Böll.

Inaugural-Dissertation
zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Philosophie
an der Ludwig-Maximilians –Universitiät
München

Vorgelegt von
Aloysius –Gonzagas. Ikechukwu. Orjinta. PhD.
aus
(Nigeria)
(University of Nigeria Press Ltd. Nsukka, Nigeria, 2013)

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REFERENT: PROFESSOR. DR. CLEMENS. PORNSCHLEGEL.
KORREFERENT: PROFESSOR. DR. SVEN. HANUSCHEK.

TAG DER MÜNDLICHEN PRÜFUNG: 14. 1.2011

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Table of Contents- - - - - - - - - - 3
Plan of Work - - - - - - - 7
Abstract - - - - - - - - 9
Chapter One - 13
1.0 Towards the reception of German
Literature in Nigeria and in Africa - - - 13
1.2 Literature and Society: Expectations and
Reception Horizons - - - - - 16
1.3 The Present situation of German studies
in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria - - -- 21
1.4 Outline of the Development of German
Studies in Africa - - - - - - 29
1.5 The difficulties in the teaching of German
language and literature in Nigeria and Africa - 33
1.6 Conclusion and Possible Suggestions - - 44

CHAPTER TWO: THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK -47
2.1 Introduction - - - - - - -47
2.2 Feminist Criticism - - - - - -51
2.3 Womanism - - - - - - -62
2.4 Motherism - - - - - - - -68
2.5 Stiwanism - - - - - - - - -71
2.6 A Plea for Womanism - - - - - - 72

CHAPTER THREE- - -74
Feminisms and Womanism: Points of contact
and divergence - - - - - - - -74
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3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 74
3.2 Feminism - - - - - - - -75
3.3 Womanism - - - - - - - - 81
3.3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 81
3.3.2 Womanism: Definition and Historical
Background - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -83
3.3.3 Womanism as a Brainchild of Negritude
and African Criticism - - - - - - - 85
3.4 Similarities and Dissimilarities between
Womanims and the Western Feminism - - - 86
3.5 Transition to Heinrich Boll and his Womanist Works - 96

CHAPTER FOUR: LIFE HISTORY OF HEINRICH
BÖLL AND THE CHURCH’S IMAGE IN HIS WORKS - 99
4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 99
4.2 Childhood, Catholic Education - - - - 103
4.3 Epochal and Historical Background (1929-1945) - 108
4.4 Political instability and Economic Crisis - - - - 110
4.5 Religious and Church Crisis - - - - - 119

CHAPTER FIVE: WOMEN’S LITERATURE IN
THE WORKS OF HEINCRICH BOLL - - - - 129
5.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 129
5.2 Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum - - - 131
5.2.1 Interpretation - - - - - - - 134
5.3 Gruppendbild mit Dame - - - - - 141
5.3.1 Introduction - - - - - - 141
5.3.2 Content - - - - - - - - 142
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5.3.3. Interpretation - - - - - - - 143
5.4 Das Ansichten eines Clowns - - - - 148
5.4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 148
5.4.2 Content - - - - - - - - 149
5.4.3 Interpretation - - - - - - - 150
5.5 Frauen vor Flusslandschaft - - - - - 153
5.5.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 153
5.5.2 Content/Interpretation - - - - - - 154
5.6 Womanist Interpretation - - - - - - 156
5.7 Conclusion - - - - - - - - 169

CHAPTER SIX: THE IMAGE OF THE CHURCH
IN THE WORKS OF HEINRICH BÖll - - - - 172
6.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 172
6.2 Boll’s Prophecy - - - - - - - 176
6.3 Caesero – Papism and Materialism - - - - 180
6.4 Morality and Sacrament - - - - - 191
6.5 Conclusion - - - - - - - - 202

CHAPTER SEVEN: WOMEN IN SELECTED WORLD
RELIGIONS AND CULTURES - 205
7.1 Gender Discrimination in World Religions and
Cultures - - - - - - 205
7.2 Women and Religion - - - - - - 211
7.3 Women in Islam - - - - - - - 213
7.3.1 The stand of the Koran (Sura Annisa) on Women - 218
7.3.2 Divorce in Islam - - - - - - - 219
7.3.3 How Islam treats adultery - - - - - 220
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7.3.4. Sexism in Islam - - - - - - - 222
7.3.5 Regulations Concerning women’s fashion
and body beautification - - - - - - 223
7.3.6 Inculturation and Acculturation - - - - 228
7.3.7 Reaction of Moslem women to Sexism in Islam - 234
Conclusion - - - - - - - 237
7.4 Women in African Religion - - - - 243
7.4.1 Religious Beliefs and Practices - - - - 245
7.4.2 Sexism in African Traditional Religion - - - 248
7.4.3 Women’s leading Roles in A.T.R. - - - 250
7.4.4 Obnoxious Practices in A.T.R. - - - - 254
7.5 Women’s roles in Christianity - - - - 256
7.5.1 Women from the Perspective of Christianity - 267
7.5.2 Experiences of Women in Christianity in
the first two Millenia - - - - - - 269
7.5.3 Women’s experiences from 30 A.D. to 1500 A.D 271
Conclusion - - - - - - - 273
7.6 Women’s Role in African Culture - - - 274
7.6.1 The Socio-Political Status of African Women
in African Culture before European Cultural Invasion 278
7.6.2 Socio-Economic Status of women before
the Advent of Colonialism - - - - 282
7.6.3 General Conclusion - - - - - - 286
Bibliography - - - - - - - 288

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Plan of work:
This work is planned in the following ways: Firstly the goals of this work
are stated in the abstract. In chapter one, we tried to situate the work in the
context of the new regulations of the intercultural German studies. It should
be made clear from the outset that this dissertation is carried out in my own
personal interest as well as in the interest of all German students with a
view to finding a way out of the problematic of intercultural German
studies.
The theoretical framework is analyzed in chapter two. We shall at the same
time theoretically define and evaluate the following concepts and feminist
technical terms: Feminist criticism, womanism, Motherism and Stiwanism.
Other sub themes will however be considered. Finally we shall take a stand
for womanism as a suitable literary interpretation of feminist texts of
Heinrich Böll. In the fourth chapter we shall try to go deeper into the
concept of feminism and womanism, whereby one will consider the
similarities and dissimilarities between both terms. One will explain that as
an African with the African background of Slave Trade, Colonialism and
Neo-imperialism as well as the Negritude, one will like to view Heinrich
Böll and his works or the German literature with the sociological or New –
Marxist literary criticism. Moreover, we shall try to pass on this research to
the African recipients, who can hardly understand the German literature
through the European or Western criticism, be it hermeneutics, Text-
interpretation or feminist literary theory. In chapter five, we shall take up
the life history of Heinrich Böll. The biography that shall be shown here is
based on the conviction of the author, that his literary engagement was
deeply influenced by his life experience. The author cannot achieve the
luxury of l’art pour l’art in the literature of ruins and trends.
Literature should mirror the society. That is why we shall treat in detail
such sub-themes as: childhood, Catholic upbringing and education as well
as the historical background of 1929-1945.
After a presentation of the relationship between literature and its milieu, we
shall come to women’s literature in the works of Heinrich Böll in the fifth
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chapter. First of all, we shall give a detailed contextual interpretation of the
respective titles: Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, Gruppenbild mit Dame,
Ansichten eines Clowns and Frauen vor Flusslandshaft. There after we shall take
up the womanist interpretation.
In chapter six, the image of the church in the works of Heinrich Böll will be
examined exclusively. Böll polemicized a lot against the church’s hierarchy.
His objections will be analyzed here and his alternatives accurately
explained.
In chapter seven, I will globalize my research on the image of woman, by
studying the role of women in world religions. First we shall globally
present sexism in selected religions. After that, we shall explain in detailed
form Gender differences and conflicts in Islam, Christendom and in the
African Traditional Religion (A.T.R). In the course of the chapter the
reaction of women will be analysed. Because the theoretical assessment of
this work is partly based on the African culture; this culture will also be
considered from the feminist point of view.
The major part of this work shall explain that Heinrich Böll made his mark
as a womanist. Up to this point, feminists have inadequately criticized him
and his work. A holistic re-reading of the selected stories and novels of
Heinrich Böll will weaken the criticism of feminists. Contrary to the opinion
of certain critics, that Heinrich Böll portrayed a conservative image of
women and an anti-feminist picture, this work has discovered that the
author highlighted the situation of woman through his stylistics and literary
approaches – even more than many of the so-called feminists. Böll’s
methodical procedure is most suitable to the model of the post modern
feminism, where the womanist theories find their seat. Sequel to this, we try
to research on how the African readers can read, understand and evaluate
German literature; even when such literature is already translated into
English or French. In my own opinion, one can arouse the interest of the
African recipient with a womanist interpretation. This mediatory role
should serve as the basic tool for making the reading of literature exciting to
Africans studying German language and literature up to the University
level.
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ABSTRACT
Researches on the image of women in religion and in literature are often a
big topic in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The literary image of women
are created or made by male authors ab initio because the orient, the birth
place of the three religions, was dominated by patriarchy for a long time.
Most male authors were writing patriarchal oriented stories, where women
were degraded or demoted to second class beings. This brought about
stereotypes, prejudices and a prior condemnation of woman, and men
placed themselves in the centre of leading stories as well as in literary
canons. On the one hand, men were writing about what they thought about
women; their image of woman, however, hardly corresponded with what
women thought about themselves. On the other hand they were abusing the
religious feelings of women and exploited them. This work deals with
further research on the concept of women in the above religions and on
their fictional portraits in selected novels and stories of Heinrich Böll. The
goal of this work is to find out the efforts of feminist literary scholars in their
discovery of the lost stories about woman.
Feminine identity is more strongly developed in Europe than in Africa. The
European women have fought over the years, in order to liberate themselves
from patriarchal oppression and subjectivity. That notwithstanding, there
remains desiderata. As already mentioned an analysis of the history of
women in the religions and in the cultures shows many examples of
injustice, prejudice and discrimination. Hitherto in most religions
(Christianity “Catholic Church”), Islam, Judaism and African Traditional
Religion, women have no chance of leading as chief celebrant in the
services. They could always undertake lower functions, but when it is about
a higher office, there is always a boundary. My first Ph.D. research:
“Women’s Experiences in Selected African Feminist Literary Texts (part of
which was published under the title: “Women in World Religions and
literatures” (Munster, imprint Verlag ISBN 978-3-936536-25-5), is
preoccupied inter alia with this issue: It is an exercise in solidarity with the
outsiders, the marginalized and oppressed of the society. Literature can be
taken as a reflection of the happenings in the society. In this sense, fictional
texts play big roles in the idea of the societal events and experiences.
Heinrich Böll’s trend literature represents literary engagement. He remains
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close to the masses and the oppressed gender/sex. This solidarity with the
masses brought him negative Press of the Mass Media as well as the
persecutions of the government.
Feminist literary writing on one side and feminist political engagement on the
other side are of the same opinion that the image of women in the
predominant male literatures turned out to be one sided, stereotyped and
negative to the advantage of the domineering gender. The ultimate writing
of women and feminist activists; be it the left-wing extremists, the liberals or
the conservatives, is to fight against this situation: they look for the female
identity in the society as well as in literature. Extreme feminist and
chauvinist groups in Europe, America and partly in the Third World
countries, have made a strong influence through their words and actions,
such that the church and the society are bearing the brunt: marital crisis,
decline in population, neglect of maternal duties, erosion of family and
social values, suicides, running amok and the decline of moral and religious
values. According to Böll, these experiences are as a result of the mass
reaction of the feminine gender against the tyranny of masculine gender, the
church and its supporters. However, such a reaction should not be
exaggerated. At this juncture, the argument is between the womanists and
the Western feminists.
For my case study, I will like to bring in the following fictional works of
Heinrich Böll: Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, Gruppen Bilm mit Dame,
Ansichten eines Clowns and Frauen vor Flusslandschaft. The goal of this work is
to proffer possible suggestions and to give some indication of a way forward
towards the amelioration of the situation of women as shown by Böll. In
order to achieve this goal, I prefer to apply the womanist theoretical frame-
work as a solution that can be found in a multicultural society; a kind of
recourse to the source (to nature, to the roots). One understands womanism
as an ideology of African women, in which they see their interests as that of
their children and husbands. Their needs are deeply rooted in the well-being
of the community. In order to achieve their goal, African womanists prefer
gender-supplement, dialogue and complementarities. Here, Complaints are
rare, because the female Gender is part of an administrative system, which
has a male and a female hierarchy and in which men and women share the
power. When there is complaint, Dialogue and settlement is preferred to
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