The second space and a contribution to the narrative of women's literature: themes from the second space - the assumption of autobiographical writing and the label of women's fiction.

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Grosvenor, Rachel (2017). The second space and a contribution to the narrative of women's literature: themes from the second space - the assumption of autobiographical writing and the label of women's fiction. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

The Second Space is a novel that presents the place of women in a patriarchal society, exploring themes such as sexuality, reclamation of space, and the power of physical objects. It follows the story of a woman who escapes from the prospect of marriage and works to discover her self-identity, forging meaningful relationships with other women.
The accompanying critical study contributes to the knowledge of women’s writing and the creative process by acknowledging the existence of a distinct space for women in a patriarchal society. This concept is called ‘The Second Space’.
This study refutes the assumption that women’s fiction is autobiographical due to the use of themes such as domesticity and motherhood, demonstrating the value of building a narrative for women.
The sources that support this research include creative, critical and feminist texts, as follows: Elena Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment, Margaret Atwood’s Lady Oracle, and Miranda July’s The First Bad Man, Carla Kaplan’s The Erotic’s of Talk: Women’s Writing and Feminist Paradigms, Sean Burke’s Authorship: From Plato to the Postmodern, Micaela Maftei’s The Fiction of Autobiography, Margaret Atwood’s On Writers and Writing, Shulamith Firestone’s The Dialectic of Sex, and Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

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