Hello Gentle Reader
The title of Elfriede Jelinek’s social commentary novel is a deceivingly charming and yet fitting for a satirical novel. When people read the title, they expect some erotically charged romance novel; perhaps they think that it is like D.H. Lawrence’s novel “Sons and Lovers,” or perhaps even “Women in Love.” Though this is all a deceptive ploy by Elfriede Jelinek, whose novels and plays can be placed into three different categories: women’s place in society; Austria’s Nazi past, and the politically engaged or social commentary works, which will at times exercise the author’s authoritarian voice in a postmodern sensibility. “Woman as Lovers,” is of the first category. In the article about Elfriede Jelinek’s work, from the Nobel Prize website, titled “Provocation as the Breath of Life,” the author Sture Packalén elegantly describes this kind of work:
“Jelinek depicts those with whom she empathises the most in society: women without prospects, who are economically dependent and on the lowest rungs of the social ladder. These ordinary women find themselves literally in the shadow of their men and see themselves through men's eyes. Only rarely do they dare to express their own wishes, their opinions or desires. They give birth to children, cook, dress themselves and live, as it were, in a glass show-case of femininity without the capacity to engage in transforming contact with the outside world. Any desire for education fades in the face of the social pressure to get married [. . .] These oppressed women suffer both from the physical violence to which they are exposed with their men and from the submissiveness which they impose upon themselves in their women's role. But none of the women in Jelinek's novels and plays are to be regarded as purely passive figures, as objects of men's lust and oppression. All are in fact active agents. Yet, they have been broken from within in that they have both accepted their submission and at the same time tried to tear off the mask of womanliness which has been forced upon them. A Woman's life is an inferno and Jelinek pierces to its core.”
When trying to explain the novel in such terms, many people – especially woman; regard it as completely not true. They get defensive that someone – especially a woman; would write such a piece of work, and then publish it, and have the gall to call herself a feminist. What these people do not understand though is Jelinek is not poking fun at the women in these situations. Jelinek is a social scientist, and has often described herself as a scientist who, who constantly pears into the petri dish, of society and dissects; one social norm at a time. This makes Jelinek a very controversial writer with both men and women—the reading public in general. There is no middle ground with Jelinek. She is an extreme writer; who deals with social issues – especially those of women; with a keen objective eye. Violence – sexual or not; is casual in these works, and is not always metaphorical or rhetorical. Regardless many misunderstand the plots of Jelinek’s work. When I described the work as a dissection of the struggle of a woman to live independent; many reacted in verbal violence; or in complete abhorrence. Marriage is not a man’s domination of a woman; nor is a house a womans calling, and kingdom, where she is both slave and queen. Many stated that men nowadays choose to stay at home; and some women are refusing to get married. In the end though they have failed at understanding what Jelinek has to say about the situation.
On a personal note; I have decided to read Jelinek once again, because of her use of language. It’s experimental and yet completely original. Repetitive, and poetic, with moments of true brilliance. “Woman as Lovers,” is not as intimate as “The Piano Teacher,” was; which is at times both its fault and its greatest strength. What made “The Piano Teacher,” so absolutely horrifying was the fact that one was dragged down to the deepest darkest pits of the human psyche and there was no relief. Bombarded of images and actions and images of degradation and violence, it was a horrifying portrait of a woman deprived of all sense of humanity – and all that remained was a husk of artistic and musical genius, poisoned by vengeance and bitterness. In “Woman as Lovers,” Jelinek does not have a lot of good to say about life, or marriage, or being a woman; which in itself is a trap, of a life of servitude:
“so over the years a natural cycle has come into being: birth and starting work and getting married and leaving again and getting the daughter, who is the housewife or sales assistant, usually housewife, daughter starts work, mother kicks the bucket, daughter is married, leaves, jumps down from the running board, herself gets the next daughter, the co-op shop is the turn table of the natural cycle of nature, the seasons and human life in all its many forms of expression are reflected in its fruit and veg. in its single display window are reflected the attentive faces of its sales assistants, who have come together here to wait for marriage and for life. but marriage always comes alone, without life. hardly or seriously injured. he’s always an alcoholic.”
In the end the women (in this case Brigitte and Paula) do not even have the time or the breath to ask themselves “is this it?” in the end though they are doomed to fall into the same pit falls that their mothers and their mothers before them, have fallen into. A life of marriage and then all that is left is to become a biological factory that can only produce living things. From working in a factory that sews brassieres to the factory production of squealing children; who know doubt will repeat the same cycle.
This is what separates Brigitte and Paula. Both are dreamers; both dream of a better life, and both are willing to put in the work to get that better life. Brigitte is realistic about the limitations that she is faced with, based on her gender. Enter Heinz. Heinz becomes the name for life itself. Heinz is a journeyman electrician, and has plans of opening an electrical appliance shop. This plan for future earnings, a stable life; make Heinz a prize husband. Paula on the other hand is a dreamer whose feelings and dreams get easily confused. Paula is disgusted by the monotony of the daily life in which she has been oppressed by for the most part of her life. She escapes in the world of films; dreams of traveling the world; and even fights for the right to take classes and learn the trade of dressmaking. That would therefore let her live on her own:
“in paula's head there appears a little bud, might not dressmaking after all have been better than erich. the bud is immediately torn out and trampled underfoot.”
In Jelinek’s this story of two young women trying to find love and happiness, becomes a tale of consumerisms infection, and its destruction of any good will or possible attempt at an actual loving relationship. Within a patriarchy society, Jelinek theorizes that woman will always be placed under the thumb of men. Owned, and stuck in a monotonous life of housekeeping, child birth, raising children, and serving their husband.
“if a pain in the abdomen does nevertheless stick out its head like a worm out of the apple, then its too late, the old proverb says, women are born to suffer, men are born to work: someone has go to stuck into the body of the other and is laying waste inside it, living, feeding off it, that is called symbiosis.”
Consumerism – is Jelinek’s greatest enemy. Being part of the communist party for seventeen years, I think Jelinek will always be on the left. That being said, Jelinek is not a simple idealist who writes social realism. She does not praise the worker, overthrowing the sole dictator who keeps all the wealth for himself, while the others or the workers are forced to slave away inhumanely doing mule work. Instead Jelinek is a very cynical realist. She understands that everyone is fueled by their own self-interest. Sexual politics; the use of one’s own body to succumb and to succeed in the solidification of ones one future – this is the world Jelinek presents. A world tainted, and meaningless. Where no sense of companionship exists in a pure form. Paula and Brigitte are two halves of the same situation. One extreme to the next. Brigitte accepts her fate; yet is more cunning than, it at first appears. Heinz is odious and obnoxious. Yet he proves to have the one thing that Brigitte wants: a sustainable future. Brigitte can only think of ruling her own house. Heinz’s house. She pictures everything in terms of ownership – her ownership. The china would be hers, the stove, the mix master, everything would be hers; the children would be hers. Whereas Paula is vehemently seeking a future, ruled and guided by her own hands. However Paula is always trapped in the workings of the present. In which Eirch enters. The handsome and dimwitted moped loving and riding, woodcutter; who favours alcohol over Paula. Yet Paula, is ruled by her own feelings, and has no foresight.
In this short novel, Jelinek plays with the concepts of womanhood, and the subjugating control of Austria’s patriarchy society. Jelinek is a fierce social critic, and in this novel, criticises the effects of a burgeoning consumerist society. Just look at Brigitte, her constant desire for ownership – something to call her own; she is the epitome of consumerist cruelty; whereas Paula is unable to survive in a world that demands one to critically think, and place her own feelings on hold. However this is only secondary for Jelinek’s experimental linguistic skills, which will be unable to be translated perfectly into English. However, the taste that is provided is well enough on its own, to keep one on reading. Though there are warnings for readers. The subject matter is controversial, and explicit. It’s vicious and at times can be very visceral. Yet true moments of brilliance do shine through the prose, which keeps one, on-going. Persistence in some cases does pay off. Just don’t expect to walk away feeling good. The works of Jelinek themselves true to their own purpose of being, vicious in its exposures of the hypocrisy of the social norms, the systematic degradation of women; hiding or refusing to recognize one’s own past, and a world that is full of such a bizarre and absurd use of language, that it takes these low language examples and polishes them to a refined prose and word play to reveal their own hidden power; and how they affect us all as individuals.
“don’t propose and let god propose, rather let others prose, but dispose oneself.”
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
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M. Mary
