Irish, Catholic, and female: The vision of patriarchy in the fiction of Edna O'Brien.
Item
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Title
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Irish, Catholic, and female: The vision of patriarchy in the fiction of Edna O'Brien.
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Identifier
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AAI9630468
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identifier
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9630468
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Creator
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Jacquette, Kathleen Marie.
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Contributor
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Adviser: David Gordon
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Date
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1996
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, Modern | Literature, English | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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In 1960, Edna O'Brien published The Country Girls. After centuries of silence, rural, Irish, Catholic women finally had a voice. Through the poignant descriptions of lonely and desperate mothers, sisters, wives, and children, the author forced the reader to see beyond the beautiful green hills of Ireland, beyond the images of playful children and seemingly contented parents into the cruel realities of lives with limitations O'Brien chronicles the effect of the double patriarchy--Church and State--on Irish women, and the portrayal is not pleasing. The double patriarchy in Ireland is a result of historical circumstances that resulted in the perpetuation of Catholic ideology in the Irish State. In O'Brien's fiction, women living under the restrictions of religious and secular patriarchy had little chance for happiness and fulfillment. O'Brien's characters are, indeed, products of their cultural heritage.;The examination of patriarchy in Edna O'Brien begins with an introductory chapter on the author's place in Irish literature. Chapter Two is an overview of the historical occurrences that created the Irish patriarchy. Chapter Three analyzes the influence of the patriarchy on the author's text. Does O'Brien succeed in subverting the patriarchal language to create her own images? Chapter Four concentrates on the role of the mother in perpetuating the patriarchy. "Mothers were best," states O'Brien, and trust in the mother figure became a focal point for patriarchal beliefs. Chapter Five deals with the role of the clergy and nuns in the Irish patriarchy. Their influence on the young is one of the important themes in O'Brien's work. Chapter Six examines the question of sexuality in the Irish patriarchy. From young girls who are ignorant of sexuality to worldly women who can not find fulfillment in sex, O'Brien describes many physical encounters and the negative outcome of these liaisons. Finally, in Chapter Seven, Edna O'Brien speaks in her own words and ponders her future as a writer. Ireland will continue to inspire her fiction as she searches for creative ways to narrate the lives of Irish, Catholic women.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
