Finding one's place in the female history chain: Matrilineality in the opus of Elena Ferrante

Abstract

In the text, matrilineality reads as the core theme in the opus of Italian novelist writing under the pseudonym of Elena Ferrante. In her first novel, L'amore molesto (1992), she has introduced a mother- daughter pair of characters: the daughter character has later developed into an ever growing network of female relationships all the way to the latest book of the so- called Neapolitan tetralogy. Interpretation is based on finding key characteristics that determine relations inside the matrilineal chain - like the daughter's experiences in search of an ideal mother figure; her recognition of the existence of female history and the need for its reinterpretation so she can be liberated from the imposed patriarchal frame; becoming a mother and a wife and redefining these roles most often by deserting her family and/or her husband to live a life which is not constricted only to the private sphere etc. Thus a parallel is drawn between female characters not only within the text of the novel but also in terms of the entire opus of Elena Ferrante.

U tekstu se matrilinearnost čita kao središnja tema dosadašnjeg opusa italijanske književnice koja piše pod pseudonimom Elena Ferante (Elena Ferrante). Već u njenom prvom romanu L'amore molesto (1992) uvodi se par majka: ćerka, koji se dalje razvija u sve razgranatiju mrežu ženskih odnosa, sve do njene posljednje knjige, takozvane Napuljske tetralogije. Interpretacija se zasniva na pronalaženju ključnih karakteristika koje određuju odnose unutar matrilinearnog niza - iskustvu ćerke koja traga za figurom idealne majke, njenom osvješćivanju da postoji ženska istorija koju treba da reinterpretira kako bi mogla da se oslobodi nametnutih patrijarhalnih okvira, postajanje majkom i suprugom i potonje redefinisanje tih uloga, najčešće kroz napuštanje porodice i/ili supruga zarad života koji nije samo vezan za privatnu sferu, i sl. Na taj način se uspostavlja paralela između likova žena ne samo unutar teksta jednog romana, već na nivou čitavog dosadašnjeg opusa Elene Ferante.