female characters in the novels of toni morrison, margaret atwood and anita desai from the ...

327 Pages·2015·2.33 MB·English

THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY

JELENA D. DOSTANIĆ

FEMALE CHARACTERS IN THE NOVELS OF TONI
MORRISON, MARGARET ATWOOD AND ANITA DESAI
FROM THE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES OF FEMINISM,
POSTMODERNISM AND POSTCOLONIALISM
Doctoral Dissertation

Belgrade, 2015
UNIVERZITET U BEOGRADU
FILOLOŠKI FAKULTET

JELENA D. DOSTANIĆ

ŽENSKI LIKOVI U ROMANIMA TONI MORISON,
MARGARET ETVUD I ANITE DESAI IZ TEORIJSKE
PERSPEKTIVE FEMINIZMA, POSTMODERNIZMA I
POSTKOLONIJALIZMA
Doktorska disertacija

Beograd, 2015.
Supervisor: dr Zoran Paunović, professor
The University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology
I would like to thank my supervisor for his committed and thorough guidance in
this project. He provided me with the invaluable advice and encouragement,
while leaving me more than enough space for creative freedom.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to my whole family for help and support
they have given me during this entire process, enabling me to focus on my work.

However, I dedicate this dissertation to my mother, who has always been the
biggest source of love, support and encouragement. With this paper I would like
to thank her for making my goals her priorities.
Female Characters in the Novels of Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and Anita
Desai from the Theoretical Perspectives of Feminism, Postmodernism and
Postcolonialism

The subject of this dissertation comprises three segments: while the primary
focus is on the research of the female characters of the three chosen authors, this paper
also deals with the issue of female authorship, that is, the social circumstances that have
to a great extent shaped and still impact the literary work of female writers and finally,
the dissertation reflects on the manner in which female authors approach the women's
issue, that is, how they shape the female identity.
The aim of this dissertation is to explore and answer the question what is that
makes women from culturally opposed communities different, and what is that they,
despite the numerous sociological discrepancies, still have in common. Thus, the main
task of this research was to shed light on, still rather vaguely defined, "women's issue"
by drawing parallels between the women, that is, the female characters who live in
specific political, sociological and cultural conditions typical of the West (female
characters of Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison) and typical of the East (female
characters of Anita Desai). In order to reach the answer to a complex question such as
this one, the dissertation tackles the matters that the authors themselves find the most
relevant, that is, the themes instrumental in defining the female identity. By means of
the analysis of these life matters, the dissertation provides insight into not just the
psyche of individual characters, but also illustrates the dynamics of an entire society:
beliefs, customs, hierarchies of power, etc. The themes that have been given the most
attention are: marriage, motherhood, friendship between women, female sexuality,
family and the relationship of one with the community and with oneself. By the method
of comparison, the research work reached the conclusion that social factors, such as
economic climate, political orientation and the quality of the educational system,
undoubtedly affect the level of awareness of women, the attitude of the society toward
women and the attitude women nurture toward themselves. Nevertheless, regardless of
the numerous and significant differences between the women in the East and West,
there are segments they have in common, despite the external, social factors. These
similarities provide the answer to the question what makes the essence of women, that
is, what makes them special and different from men.
The second aim of this dissertation is also related to the "women's issue", but in
the sphere of authorship, that is, literature, literary theory and criticism. It reflects on the
impediments and prejudices that surrounded the first proclaimed female authors, who
through their battle for the right to share their ideas in the written from actually carried
out a revolution in the name of liberation of the female gender. Namely, the female
struggle for the right to write and publish is much more than a simple fight for a place in
a profession - it is a fight for the freedom of thought, the freedom of speech and for the
right to be actively present in the public life. By relying on history of literature, as well
as feminist criticism, the dissertation deals with the presence of female authors in the
world of literature and the status they are given in the world of literary criticism.
Moreover, it refers to the key authors and works that pioneered when it comes to the
introduction of the "women's issue", underlining the importance of the female
emancipation in and through literature. Alongside the matter of female authorship in
general, the research also included the literary experiences of the three mentioned
authors, focusing on how they define the process of writing, what it feels like to be a
female author and in what ways they shape their heroines. This makes the third task of
this research and that is the relationship female authors have toward their female
characters. Namely, based on the chosen authors and novels, the dissertation explores
the motivation behind creating heroines the way they are, literary techniques and
ideological convictions that female authors rely on in creating psychological profiles of
their female protagonists.
The critical analysis is carried out on the basis of three theoretical perspectives:
feminism, postmodernism and postcolonialism. These theories were chosen due to their
relevance when it comes to the "women's issue" and female authorship. Bearing in mind
that feminism is always referred to in relation to the female existence, the feminist
theory naturally had to be one of the fundamental elements of this project. The analysis
reflects on the relationship the chosen authors themselves have toward the feminist
ideology, which is ambivalent in the case of all three of them. This framework is
referred to in the analysis of the heroines as well, where its contribution to raising
awareness and female emancipation is assessed. Since in the process of research of the
subject of this project it became clear that a single theoretical perspective is not
sufficient for implementing a comprehensive analysis of the "women's issue", the
dissertation includes two additional theoretical approaches besides feminism:
postmodernism and postcolonialism. Namely, all three authors are referred to as
postmodernist authors and their work, indeed, reflects numerous postmodernist
characteristics. Hence, with regard to the postmodernist aspects of the chosen novels,
the dissertation bases itself on the analysis of the attitude postmodernism takes towards
female authors and the female gender in general. Bearing in mind contradictory
opinions of critics regarding the rapport between postmodernism, which is oriented
toward literary form and experimentation, and the "women's issue", which requires
space for meaningful content, the dissertation is trying to find a point of convergence,
that is, elements of postmodernism conducive to conveying the complexity and
difficulties of female existence. It locates this consensus between apparently
irreconcilable opposites in the subversive power they share. Finally, a big segment of
the theoretical basis of this doctoral project is the theory of postcolonialism, which
explores asymmetrical hierarchies of power, spirit of imperialism and the master-slave
relationship, which is often identified as the basis of the relationships between men and
women in the communities the three authors write about. While the connection between
the theory of postcolonialism and the work of Anita Desai is obvious, the dissertation
lays out the arguments which make this theory not just relevant but also necessary when
it comes to the analysis of works by Atwood and Morrison, as well. This kind of
approach reveals not just that postcolonialism is not exclusively linked just to the
territories that were formally and politically in the status of colonies, but also applies to
those territories that were or still are the subject of social and cultural exploitation,
which is the case with Canada. Furthermore, colonialisation and imperialism do not
have to apply to entire territories, they can influence only certain racial or ethnical
groups, such as the black population in parts of the USA, which is one of the issues
Morrison tackles in her novels.
The conclusions reached at the end of research work on the basis of extensive
comparative analysis, application of relevant theoretical approaches and with reference
to renowned critics suggest the significant impact of the social, primarily economic and
political, factors on the position and role of women in society. Apart from that, cultural
differences between the East and West determine the priorities and values of women,
who accordingly create the image of themselves and their own worth. However, what
women worldwide share is the need to find and build their sense of self, either through
professional endeavours or through relationships with others, for instance through
motherhood, marriage or close friendship. Hence, the three authors insist on making
their heroines find their paths, often fraught with challenges and temptations by
disposing of fear, illusions and female ills, such as vanity and envy. On that road of self-
discovery they recognise the complexity but also the beauty of female friendship, which
gives them a context they can use in rebuilding or strengthening their suppressed or
even erased identity.

Key words: women's issue, female authorship, female characters, feminism,
postmodernism, postcolonialism, identity, Desai, Morrison, Atwood.

Area of Study: Literary Science
Specific Area of Study: English literature
UDK:
Ženski likovi u romanima Toni Morison, Margaret Etvud i Anite Desai iz teorijske
perspektive feminizma, postmodernizma i postkolonijalizma

Predmet ove doktorske disertacije sastoji se iz tri dela: dok je primarni fokus
istraživanja bio na junakinjama tri navedene autorke, rad se takođe bavi i pitanjem
ženskog autorstva, tj. društvenim okolnostima koje su u velikoj meri formirale, a i danas
utiču na književni rad ženskih pisaca, i na kraju, posvećena je pažnja i načinu na koji
autorke pristupaju ženskom pitanju, tj. tome kako oblikuju ženski identitet.
Cilj disertacije je da istraži i odgovori na pitanje šta je to što žene sa različitih
meridijana, iz kulturološki nespojivih zajednica razdvaja, a šta im, pak, uprkos tome
ostaje zajedničko. Dakle, zadatak ovog istraživanja bio je da rasvetli, još uvek donekle
nejasno definisano, "žensko pitanje", tako što će uspostaviti paralele između žena, tj.
ženskih likova, koji žive u specifičnim političkim, sociološkim i kulturološkim
uslovima tipičnim za Zapad (junakinje Margaret Etvud i Toni Morison) i Istok
(junakinje Anite Desai). Da bi se došlo do odgovora na ovako složeno pitanje, rad se
prvashodno bavi temama kojima su same autorke podarile najviše pažnje, tj. onim
temama koje su se pokazale ključnim za definisanje ženskog identiteta. Na osnovu
analize ovih segmenata života, disertacija pruža uvid ne samo u psihu pojedinačnih
likova, već oslikava i celokupnu društvenu dinamiku: verovanja, običaje, hijerarhije
moći, itd. Teme kojima je dato najviše prostora su: brak, majčinstvo, prijateljstvo među
ženama, ženska seksualnost, porodica i odnos pojedinca prema sebi i zajednici.
Metodom komparacije došlo se do zaključaka da društveni faktori poput ekonomske
situcije, političkog usmerenja i kvaliteta obrazovnog sustema nesumnjivo utiču na nivo
svesti kod žena, odnos društva prema ženi, kao i žene prema sebi. Međutim, bez obzira
na brojne i značajne razlike između žena na Istoku i Zapadu, ostaju sfere koje su im
zajedničke, bez obzira na spoljne, društvene faktore. Ove sličnosti daju odgovor na
pitanje šta čini suštinu žene, tj. šta žene čini posebnim i drugačijim.
Drugi zadatak disertacije takođe je vezan za "žensko pitanje", ali u oblasti
autorstva, tj. u književnosti, književnoj teoriji, kritici i izdavaštvu. Rad se osvrće na
teškoće i predrasude koje su okruživale prve proslavljene žene pisce, koje su svojom
borbom za pravo na pero izvršile svojevrsnu revoluciju u ime ženske slobode. Naime,
ženska borba za pravo na autorstvo mnogo je više od borbe za mesto u nekoj profesiji -
reč je o borbi za pravo na mišljenje, pravo govora i pravo na aktivno prisustvo u javnom
životu. Disertacija se, oslanjajući se na istoriju književnosti, kao i feminističke kritičare,
bavi zastupljenošću ženskih pisaca u svetu književnosti, kao i statusom koji one imaju
kao književni kritičari. Takođe, spomenute su ključne ličnosti i dela koji su među
prvima uveli pitanje ženskog autorstva i naglasili značaj ženske emancipacije u i kroz
književnost. Pored pitanja ženskog autorstva uopšte, disertacija se bavi i literarnim
iskustvima tri pomenute autorke, fokusirajući se na to što je za njih pisanje, kako je biti
žena pisac i na koji način oblikuju svoje junakinje. Ovde je reč o trećem zadatku ovog
istraživačkog rada, a to je odnos ženskih pisaca prema ženskim likovima. Naime, na
temelju odabranih spisateljica i romana, disertacija sagledava njihovu motivaciju za
odabir junakinja, objektivnost, književne tehnike i ideološka uverenja na osnovu kojih
se vrši kreiranje psiholoških profila likova.
Kritička analiza sprovedena je na osnovu tri teorijska okvira: feminizma,
postmodernizma i postkolonijalizma. Ove teorije su odabrane zbog svoje relevatnosti
kada je reč o navedenim temama vezanim za žensko pitanje i autorstvo. S obzirom da se
feministički pokret uvek vezuje za pitanje ženske egzistencije, svakako da je
feministička književna teorija morala biti jedan od fundamentalnih oslonaca ove
disertacije. Rad čini osvrt na odnos koji same autorke imaju sa i prema feminističkoj
ideologiji, koji je u sva tri slučaja znatno ambivalentan. Ova teorija je konsultovana i u
analizi samih junakinja, u kojoj se ispituje njen doprinos osvešćivanju i emancipaciji
žena. Budući da je u procesu istraživanja ove teme postalo jasno da je jedan teorijski
okvir, koji god to bio, nedovoljan za sveobuhvatnu i temeljnu analizu "ženskog pitanja",
u teorijsku građu uključene su još dve struje: postmodernizam i postkolonijalizam.
Naime, tri autorke su pisci koji se svrstavaju u epohu postmodernizma i čiji rad, zaista,
odiše odlikama karakterističnim za ovaj pravac. Disertacija se, u pogledu
postmodernističkih elemenata prisutnih u odabranim delima, bazira na istraživanju
odnosa koji postmodernizam gaji prema ženama kao autorima i ženskom biću uopšte.
Imajući u vidu oprečna mišljenja kritičara kada je reč o dinamici između
postmodernizma, orijentisanog ka književnoj formi i eksperimentu, i "ženskog pitanja",
kome treba prostora za smislenu sadržinu, analiza pokušava da pronađe tačke spajanja,
tj. elemente postmodernizma koji ipak pogoduju saopštavanju kompleksnosti i