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" Women writers in exile (1933-1945): "
U. G. Giguere
J. M. Spalek
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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Germanw
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| Record Number
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1113058
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| Doc. No
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TLpq304398310
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| Main Entry
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J. M. Spalek
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U. G. Giguere
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| Title & Author
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Women writers in exile (1933-1945):\ U. G. GiguereJ. M. Spalek
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| College
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State University of New York at Albany
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| Date
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1997
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| student score
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1997
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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406
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| Abstract
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The purpose of this study is: (1) to focus on the accomplishments of women authors in exile in order to evaluate their experiences of persecution, exile and adaptation; (2) to highlight five yet undiscovered women writers by means of their autobiographical accounts; (3) to illustrate in five literary paradigms the authors' experiences of suffering and survival as well as personal growth; (4) to explore the differences between male and female autobiographical accounts. The main body consists of five literary paradigms with specific reference to women writers representing differing aspects of and reactions to exile and persecution. Each of the paradigms stresses the author's existential confrontation and personal and/or literary growth. Furthermore, each paradigm can be applied to many other women authors with similar experiences at that time. The analysis of five diverse themes and exile issues symbolizes the complexity of the exile experience itself (such as adapting to different countries). The paradigm on Elisabeth Castonier's (1894-1975) Memoiren einer Auusd\betausdenseiterin concentrates on the author's traditional female upbringing and her nontraditional development, from a well-protected young girl to a self-reliant, professional woman. She is subsequently influenced by her life in France until World War I, the atmosphere (zeitgeist) of the Weimar Republic, by the Nazi era, and through her exile in different countries. The chapter on Ilse Losa's usd(\sp*1913)usd autobiography Die Welt in der ich lebte stresses the author's description of her rearing in Germany within a German-Jewish family, under the increasing stigmatization of antisemitic socio-cultural influences and life-threatening actions until sudden escape alone saves her life. Lili Korber's (1897-1982) description of Eine Osterreicherin erlebt den Anschluusd\betausd underscores the politically-involved female author, a concept which contradicts a more commonly-held notion of women's non-involvement in politics. The primary intent of Korber's fictional autobiographical diary is the analysis of (Nazi) fascism. Her social awareness originates from her upbringing in Czarist Russia in an Austrian family. The chapter on Jenny Aloni (1917-1993), as the only survivor of her German-Jewish family, though educated in a Catholic school, focuses in Zypressen zerbrechen nicht, her first autobiographical fiction, on the intensity of her overwhelming survivors' guilt and her moral obligation not to forget. Both issues initially may hinder new beginnings in Palestine, her chosen country of exile (1939-1940). Various human encounters and meaningful tasks eventually help her to reconcile her past with her present life. Hilde Domin usd(\sp*1912)usd emphasizes in several autobiographical texts her return to Germany, where she spent her first twenty years, primarily as a return to the German language. As a consequence of her own exile experience she articulates a universal concept of human exile existence on earth. In contrast, her native tongue represents for her the final, permanent retention of home and self. Special emphasis is placed on Domin's use of common language as means of interpersonal understanding, reconciliation and ultimate change. The conclusion restates and summarizes that all five authors meaningfully overcome their individual persecution, exile existence and problems of adaptation. Despite their diverse personal issues and exile experiences, they can be paradigmatically connected through similar, exile-related motifs and survival strategies. Their personal sagas are spiritually inspiring and ethically convincing, thus emphasizing women's extensive, yet often unnoticed contribution to exile literature.
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Aloni, Jenny
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Castonier, Elisabeth
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Domin, Hilda
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German text
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K
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Language, literature and linguistics
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