Heteroglossia and Media Theory in Elfriede Jelinek\u27s Die Liebhaberinnen

Previous analyses of Jelinek\u27s third novel, Die Liebhaberinnen, neglect how linguistic multiplicity reenacts the alienation of the woman from space as well as her complex relation to the media. Using Mikhail Bakhtin\u27s theory of heteroglossia, Julia Kristeva\u27s notion of the chora, and several media theories, this article demonstrates that the depiction of identity formation through the media in Die Liebhaberinnen paves the way for Jelinek\u27s later portrayals and introduces Jelinek\u27s early media theory. © 2010 Modern Austrian Literature and Culture Association