From Sacred Fulfilment to Abominable Emptiness: A Retrospective and the Present of Motherhood Experiences in Literature

Abstract

When examining literature and cultural studies grounded in feminist theory, one can observe a changing perspective on motherhood, depending on the spirit of the time and prevailing social conditions and attitudes. While it is often assumed that feminism and motherhood are contradictory, an analysis of theoretical approaches reveals that feminism is more intricately connected to the studies on maternal experiences than separated from them. The contemporary intertwining of women’s bodies and social roles moves away from biological determinism but is still constrained by societal norms. Even when motherhood is chosen freely, it does not disappear from societal and literary discourse. The separation of motherhood and femininity becomes one of the essential principles of feminist thought. Works such as Vanda Juknaitė’s Stiklo šalis (Land of Glass) and Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė’s Kvėpavimas į marmurą (Breathing into Marble) provided a basis and opened up avenues to discuss the challenges posed by modern motherhood in Lithuanian literature. The article asserts that the reflection on contemporary motherhood continues in the poetry of Vitalija Maskvytė, Rima Juškūnė, Lina Buividavičiūtė, and Kristina Tamulevičiūtė. In their works, these writers reveal the diversity of motherhood, and the phenomenon of motherhood experience transitions from the domestic sphere to the existential realm. The theme of a sacred, iconic mother cult remains in the past and unfolds as a critique of Christian discourse.