Discourse on feminism

MEMORIES OF THE SECOND SEX - Gender and Sexuality in Women's Writing: Dominique S. Verma, T. V. Kunhi Krishnan - Editors; Somaiya Publications Pvt. Ltd., 172, Mumbai Marathi Granthsangrahalaya Marg, Dadar, Mumbai-400014. Rs. 350.

THIS BOOK is the outcome of a seminar on ``Women's voices'' conducted jointly by the cultural centre of the French Embassy, the Delhi University, the Sahitya Akademi and the publishers. The theme of the seminar was based on the works of Marguerite Yourcenar, the eminent French writer, who was specially invited to visit India by Rabindranath Tagore as he was impressed by her literary achievements.

The memories shared by the presenters of papers at the seminar constituting the ``second sex'', an expression coined by Simone de Beauvoir, are of professors, writers and poets of repute.

The compilation ironically begins with the eminent Malayalam poet, critic and translator, K. Satchidanandan's observation about contemporary trends in women's writing. Though he is in favour of western paradigms he feels they have their limitations, and any attempt to decode gender in the Indian texts should be within specific social, cultural and psychological milieu using elements innate to them rather than universalising theories of Western feminism alone. On the question of Ghettoisation, quoting Gayatri Chakravarthy Spivak in the context of her study of Mahasweta Devi's story, ``Stanadayini'', Satchidanandan agrees with her in that, non-confinement to gender issues and gender role would help writers in broadening the horizons of their concerns, experience and forms. He cites instances of Ashapurnadevi, Mahasweta Devi, Lalitambika Antarjanam, Qurratulain Hyder or Krishna Sobti in this context.

Dominique S. Verma and Mangala Sirdeshpande, in their papers deal with Marguerite Yourcenar's novels at length giving an insight into the author's mind and personal preferences. Verma says Yourcenar liked to quote the self-indulgent regret penned by Goethe, ``If I had known how many great books had already been written, I would never have got myself into writing.'' The French writer's reputation was made after the runaway success of the ``Memories of Hadrian'' after which she came to be ``classified'' as a writer of ``historical novels''. Verma takes up two books of Yourcenar and juxtaposes the historical character, the Roman Emperor Hadrian in ``Memories of Hadrian'' and Zeno, the alchemist- physician-philosopher of ``The Abyss'', an English translation of L'Oeuvre au Noir for her analysis.

The process of memory in the French writer's novels with regard to the above-mentioned characters so different from herself, is still extremely personal. The first was started at the age of 23 and recommenced when she was about 45, more than 20 years later. The whole book is written from the point of view of a man close to death, the parchment of his life unrolls a treasure of experiences, pleasures and pains, the cruelties of decision making, the iron links which forge the ineluctable chain of history. Though Hadrian's experiences are not strictly speaking Marguerite's experiences, pure exteriority becomes, in her process of writing, complete intimacy and gives her the scope to express her own, probably forbidden feelings.

In ``Abyss'', the main character, Zeno, is an alchemist, (is definitely a part of her) and the quest is for the ultimate answer which will free one from the bondages of life and death. Hadrian, close to his death, sees his life as a beautiful tapestry of memories, whereas Zeno, heading towards death, sees only an organic disorder of fugitive forms dancing in front of his eyes, names and shapes, hiding, sliding in unstable identities sometimes difficult to identify. He loses the fixed notion of linear time and mixes images of passers-by with beings he actually met in his life. Abandoning memories, consciousness, already burnt inside, he chooses a voluntary death to escape from the stake he is sentenced to as a heretic. Zeno seems to achieve the alchemical process when the blood of his veins flows down on the prison floor. As much as Hadrian, he enters death ``with open eyes''.

Mangala Sirdeshpande discusses love, sexuality and the portrayal of women in ``Memories of Hadrian''. She finds a pessimistic portrayal of the heterosexual couple as Hadrian ironically refers to his wife, the Empress, as ``My vexatious Sabina''. Mangala observes, by and large the book contains a negative discourse on the mental and moral inferiority of women as the following passage denotes where Hadrian laments that his fair loves ``seemed to glory in thinking only as women; the mind or perhaps the soul that I searched for was never more than a perfume.''

Meenal Kshirsagar analyses the mythic symbolism and Indian thought in Yourcenar's short story ``Kali Beheaded''. She makes use of the theories of Mircea Eliade for her study - the ideas, symbolism and Yogic method as experienced through Tantrism, alchemy, folklore and aboriginal devotion.

This book is sure to inspire the reader to get into the mind of Yourcenar, understand her perspective and attitude towards the sexes in general.

N. MEERA RAGHAVENDRA RAO

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Tenets and practices of Hinduism
Next     : Characteristics of ragas