Constructions of femininity in Feri Lainšček's novels

Tema ovog magistarskog rada je analiza načina konstruiranja ženskih identiteta u romanima suvremenog slovenskog pisca Ferija Lainščeka. Analizirat će se romani Koju je magla donijela (1993), Pijetlov doručak (1999), Razdvojit ću pjenu od valova (2003) i Orkestar za poljupce (2013). Protagonistice navedenih romana prije svega karakterizira žudnja za pronalaskom prave ljubavi. Podređene tome ne uspijevaju pronaći svoje vlastito „ja“ već zbog muškaraca preuzimaju identitet koji je poželjan u kolektivu, okolini u koju su smještene, a kojoj ne pripadaju. Osim kroz muško-ženske odnose i utjecaj patrijarhalnog društva početka dvadesetog stoljeća, različite konstrukcije ženskosti u ovom su radu analizirane i na primjerima spolnih stereotipa poput femme fatale ili kućnog anđela. Budući da su radnje romana smještene uz Muru i Dravu, analizom se povlači paralela između glavnih junakinja i rijeka, koje služe kao iznimno jake metafore pri dočaravanju promjenjivog puta od ženske podređenosti i prihvaćanja patrijarhalnih normi, preko osvještavanja problema i suprotstavljanja muškarcu i društvu do konačne slobode u obliku pronalaska svog jedinstvenog identiteta. Blaga feministička nota koja se provlači kroz romane na kraju rada je predstavljena u okviru modela feminističkog identiteta dviju protagonistica romana. Cilj ovoga rada je analiza uzročno-posljedičnih veza i uvjeta koji utječu na osobni rast i razvoj protagonistica romana, a ujedno i pokušaj aktualizacije dobivenih načina konstruiranja ženskog identiteta.The theme of this master's thesis is an analysis of female identity constructions in the novels of the contemporary Slovenian writer Feri Lainšček. The analysis will be conducted on the following novels: Who Came In With the Fog (1993), Rooster's Breakfast (1999), I'll Part the Foam From the Waves (2003) and An Orchestra for Kisses (2013). The protagonists of these novels are primarily characterized by the desire to find true love. Subordinated to that desire, they fail to find their sense of self, moreover, in the name of love they accept the identity desired by collective, the identity of the environment in which they are placed by marriage or relationship, but to which they do not belong to. The different constructions of femininity were analyzed through the male-female relations and the influence of the patriarchal society of the early twentieth century. Furthermore, they are also analyzed as the examples of gender stereotypes such as femme fatale or the angel in the house. Since the novels are set alongside Mura and Drava river, the analysis draws a parallel between the main heroines and rivers, which serve as an exceptionally strong metaphor for demonstrating the changing course of female subordination and acceptance of patriarchal norms, through awareness of the problem and confrontation with the man and society and, in the end, freedom in the form of finding their unique personal identity. A mild feminist note that goes through the novels is presented in the end on two main characters, with the help of the model of feminist identity development. The goal of the paper is to analyze and determine the cause and effect connections and conditions affecting the personal growth and development of female protagonists in selected novels, as well as to discover whether such ways of constructing the female identity can be applied to the contemporary woman