Identity in Chicklit
I have read a few modern examples of Chicklit and it seems that the protagonists rarely have children of their own. As I discussed previously, this is often related to the fact that they are just embarking on new relationships, and that part of their life still lies ahead. Yet there is often a parent-child dynamic. In Bridget Jones' Diary there is a great emphasis on her relationship with her mother, and how the dynamic between mother and child changes when the child becomes an adult and the mother has to re-identify themselves. The mother can no longer identify themselves soley as mother, and the child must learn to be an adult.
How to be Good offers a different view of motherhood: right from the middle. However, like a Bridget Jones-type character, Kate is still learning (or more aptly, relearning) how to be an adult. However in her world, this involves learning how to be a wife and a mother. Perhaps this is the link to Chick-lit that I have been searching for. Chicklit is about forming the identity you are already supposed to have. For Bridget Jones this is becoming a responsible, career oriented adult that has a stable romantic relationship. That is the position that society expects a 30 year old to have, and so that is what she must gain. As mentioned, this is complimented by the journey her mother must take to finding what she needs to be now that her children are grown up. Similarly, Kate must come to terms with her place in life as a mother, and a wife. She clearly sees herself as a Doctor first; how many times does she say "I am a Doctor"? Many; yet, how many times does she say "I am a Mother" or "I am a wife"? I had difficculty finding any. So, once
so if Chick Lit is about forming identity, as my thought-tangent is currently leading me to believe, then how does Cranford relate? Cranford is more similar to Bridget Jones' Diary. Matty is like Bridget, having to form her own identity once the stabalizing force that was her sister, Miss Jenkyns, is no longer there to rule her, just as Bridget must learn to function without parents guidance; as an adult. After Miss Jenkyns dies, the story clearly becomes about Matty, and specifically how Matty learns to/ continues to function within Cranford. Despite the overwhelming feeling of stability that exudes from Cranford, there is subtle change. A man comes into the the confined world (Peter), and Matty learns how to bend rules when necessary (allowing Martha to have a suitor). Matty and Cranford must develop beyond the rule of Miss Jenkyns, and that is what they do.
How to be Good offers a different view of motherhood: right from the middle. However, like a Bridget Jones-type character, Kate is still learning (or more aptly, relearning) how to be an adult. However in her world, this involves learning how to be a wife and a mother. Perhaps this is the link to Chick-lit that I have been searching for. Chicklit is about forming the identity you are already supposed to have. For Bridget Jones this is becoming a responsible, career oriented adult that has a stable romantic relationship. That is the position that society expects a 30 year old to have, and so that is what she must gain. As mentioned, this is complimented by the journey her mother must take to finding what she needs to be now that her children are grown up. Similarly, Kate must come to terms with her place in life as a mother, and a wife. She clearly sees herself as a Doctor first; how many times does she say "I am a Doctor"? Many; yet, how many times does she say "I am a Mother" or "I am a wife"? I had difficculty finding any. So, once
so if Chick Lit is about forming identity, as my thought-tangent is currently leading me to believe, then how does Cranford relate? Cranford is more similar to Bridget Jones' Diary. Matty is like Bridget, having to form her own identity once the stabalizing force that was her sister, Miss Jenkyns, is no longer there to rule her, just as Bridget must learn to function without parents guidance; as an adult. After Miss Jenkyns dies, the story clearly becomes about Matty, and specifically how Matty learns to/ continues to function within Cranford. Despite the overwhelming feeling of stability that exudes from Cranford, there is subtle change. A man comes into the the confined world (Peter), and Matty learns how to bend rules when necessary (allowing Martha to have a suitor). Matty and Cranford must develop beyond the rule of Miss Jenkyns, and that is what they do.
posted by Angela @ 11:32 a.m.
2 Comments:
At 4:47 p.m.,
Christine Marie said…
This is an excellent point. I agree that I think that it would be a bit depressing if Chick-lit is all about women struggling to meet societal expectations traditionally associated with women.
But does this notion take agency away from the characters? For example, if we say that society wants women to be maternal therefore women strive to be more maternal, aren't we putting women--or in this case the characters--in a sort of passive, submissive, position in respect to dominant (and presumably masculine) society? Of course, society and the media play a large part in defining social roles, but I think these characters are more aware of that, and in some cases, take action to work against it.
While Katie Carr's position as a doctor is accepted in today's 'modern' society, I think Katie still struggles with the possibility that she may not be as maternal as she should. Perhaps then she works harder at being a doctor and reiterates this profession to reject maternal societal expectations.
In Cranford, I think Miss Mattie definitely struggles with similar issues. Also, Mattie has to live up to the roles of a smaller, more intimate society of women in Cranford. And the influence that that society is more visible in that we see representations of the society in the matriarchal figures of Miss Jenkyns and Miss Jamieson. Miss Mattie only steps outside the societal role until after her sister has died, and she faces destitution from the bank's bankruptcy; and even then, she doesn't stay in that position once she has her brother Peter back to help support her.
My question is, how does this issue of establishing identity operate in LadLit? I would argue that societal expectations are just as prevalent in LadLit--if we take Rob Roy or even She as exemplary. Francis has to fulfill the expectation that he will fill his father's shoes; Leo faces the expectation that he will pick up where his father left off and take up an investigation of familial ancestry.
At 1:38 p.m.,
Michele Collins said…
What a great idea for a blog! Everyone either loves or hates Chicklit. And where you draw the boundaries for what is considered Chicklit is very political indeed.
Cheers,
Michele
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