| Virtuous Victim or Sexual Predator?: The Representation of the Widow in Nineteenth- And Early Twentieth-Century German Fiction Contributor(s): Watanabe-O'Kelly, Helen (Editor), Dunn, Abigail (Author) |
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ISBN: 3034307764 ISBN-13: 9783034307765 Publisher: Peter Lang Ltd, International Academic Publis OUR PRICE: $90.01 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2013 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | European - German - Literary Criticism | Women Authors - Literary Criticism | Semiotics & Theory |
| Dewey: 830.9 |
| Series: Women in German Literature |
| Physical Information: 248 pages |
| Themes: - Sex & Gender - Feminine |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 'Was ist eine Witwe mehr als ... ein aufgew rmtes Essen?' According to politician and statesman Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel (1741-1796), widows were superfluous beings and second-hand goods, but they were also perceived by theologians and moralists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a threat due to their sexual experience and supposedly ungovernable lust. This book analyses the overwhelmingly negative portrayal of the widow in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century German fiction. Male writers in the works discussed repeat the theory that, once deprived of their husbands, widows become sexually voracious. Indeed, the widow is often presented as a dangerous sexual predator who is prone to violence. Female authors, however, highlight the invisibility of the widow and portray her as a figure alienated from society and her family because she has internalized the ideas propounded by Hippel. The widow is depicted throughout as a figure to be at best re-educated and at worst to be feared and guarded against. |
