The wall as a symbol of (false) knowledge in the works of Austrian women writers in the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century

Authors

  • Darja K. Davydzenka Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

Keywords:

wall image, personal identity, Austrian literature, literary discourse, intertextuality

Abstract

The wall image in the works of Austrian women writers in the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century: in the novels «The wall» by M. Haushofer and «Malina» by I. Bachmann, as well as in the mini-play «The wall» by E. Jelinek. The symbolic meaning of the wall in each of the works is analysed. The evolution of the image is explored, which can be particularly clearly traced in E. Jelinek’s mini-play. E. Jelinek’s critique and reinterpretation of the work of her predecessors, M. Haushofer and I. Bachmann, within the framework of the problems associated with the search for female identity through authorship, reveals another facet of her work, namely, as a writer as the work of the next generation of authors who continue to search for solutions to the conflicts that have arisen in the field. It is revealed that the image of the wall is not only a meaning-forming link in the above-mentioned works, but also reflects the changes in the perception of the female author in the patriarchal discourse.

Author Biography

  • Darja K. Davydzenka, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    postgraduate student at the department of foreign literature, faculty of philology

References

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Published

2024-07-01

Issue

No. 2 (2024): Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology

Section

Literary Research

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How to Cite

[1]
Davydzenka, D.K. 2024. The wall as a symbol of (false) knowledge in the works of Austrian women writers in the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century. Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology. 2 (Jul. 2024), 5–12.