Motherhood Gone Wrong
Failure as Resistance in Twenty-First Century Swedish Literature
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12920133 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Johanna Björklund (0000-0002-4954-4397, Uppsala University, corresponding author), Jenny Björklund (Uppsala University) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 83-100 |
| Publication date | 2018-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary Women s Writing (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1754-1476 • E-ISSN: 1754-1484 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/cww/vpy004 |
| OpenAlex | W2796234378 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 13 |
This article investigates three twenty-first century Swedish novels about mothers who leave their children, in light of a contemporary Swedish context, where the nuclear family has gained a stronger position while mothers struggle to balance different ideals. The novels take issue particularly with cultural ideals of good motherhood in two ways. First, the novels represent mothers who engage in a kind of good motherhood that becomes excessive and thus subversive. Second, their representations of failing mothers can be seen as resistance to a discourse that expects women to meet ideals that not only are unrealistic but also emphasize individual success instead of challenging structural inequalities. Moreover, the novels’ representations of family constellations challenge the nuclear family ideal and suggest alternative ways of organizing close relationships
Biology · Forensic engineering · Genealogy · Political science · Resistance (ecology · Engineering · Modern American Literature Studies · History
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,38 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2022 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |