Female characters in the novels of Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and Anita Desai from the theoretical perspectives of feminism, postmodernism and postcolonialism

Abstract

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...

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...