The Globalization of Gender and History in Contemporary Serbian Women's Writing
2014; Volume: 4; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2378-3524
Autores Tópico(s)Joseph Conrad and Literature
ResumoRenowned feminist critics such as Elaine Showalter avoid concepts of female imagination, preferring to observe the ways the self-awareness of the woman writer translates itself into a literary form, and to trace this selfawareness within the tradition, bearing in mind that masculinity and femininity as discursive constructs and socially determined categories are important for critical reading of the narrative text. Whether female is always associated with submissive and passive and male characterized as dominant and assertive becomes questionable in the world of changeable gender roles. Theorizing power in terms of gender and history resulted in understanding that masculinity and femininity have meaning in relation to each other, and that their relationship cannot be seen only in terms of cultural opposition.Mirjana Novakovic's Fear and Servant is undoubtedly one of the most popular and best sold Serbian novels in the last decade, and one of those books that exhibit extreme subtlety in analyzing gender roles. The author who gained instant fame takes position on complex cultural and political issues within a plot which mixes realistic and fantastic elements, ancient and modem history, references to politics and witty parodies of various authors and styles. Fear and Servant unites a multilayered narrative with a row of fictitious characters, archetypal forces and contemporary politicians. Using a conventional gothic plot about the search for vampires in 18th century Serbia, Fear and Servant tells of countless political traps and an eternal struggle for power. Blending horror with politics and mystery with history, this novel turns into a truly postmodern recount of politics and religion and yet, it deploys the strategies of a conventional genre novel. The reader is offered nothing less than the devil's version of the New Testament and an apocryphal recount of the history of Belgrade.Set in 18th century in Belgrade under Austrian administration, the narrative revolves around the 1725 arrival of the commission from Vienna to investigate vampires in Serbia. Allegedly, after the death of Petar Blagojevic in the Serbian village Kiseljevo, some peasants claimed that late Petar was coming to them during the night to drink their blood. After the commission and the local priest had exhumed Petar's body, stabbed it with a hawthorn stake and burned it, the report about the arch was sent to Belgrade and Vienna, soon turning into the main theme in Vienna's public circles. In a manner resembling Stephen Greenblatt's strategies of fashioning histories and identities, Mirjana Novakovic uses this trivial anecdote to start a rich narrative which connects the turbulent eighteenth century Serbia with reminiscences of the literature, history and pop culture of today. This fascinating account of the hunt for vampires turns out to be a clash of two narrative forces: there is a seemingly mellow voice of a woman on the one hand, and a braggart perspective of a man on the other. The masculine version of the story is rendered by the self-proclaimed count Otto von Hausburg who is, literally speaking, the Devil in disguise, whereas the feminine history (or /zerstory) comes from a true aristocrat, Maria Augusta, Princess of Thum und Taxis and wife to regent of Serbia. The princess and the devil set off on a vampire hunt in order to investigate the case, but also to redefine their priorities in life.Instead of objectifying gender roles and casting stock characters from the beauty and the beast paradigm, Novakovic boldly subverts the stereotypes of a fairy tale: the princess is not living happily ever after (her life is miserable due to a loveless marriage, to begin with), whereas the Devil fails to embody a fearless monster, displaying a serious lack of either courage or authority. Von Hausburg is handsome, polite, educated, cynical and self-centered, stooping to all the mortal sins he advocates: while displaying a multitude of human traits and some of demonic characteristics, the Devil is at the same time a parody of manhood and masculinity types. …
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