A Gynocritical study of Female Experiences in Selected Amharic Novels

Habtam Fikru
Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Bahir Dar University.

Tesfaye Dagnew
Associate Professor, Departmen

Sintayehu Genet
Assistant Professor

Abstract

In this study, elements of feminine experiences are examined through Elaine Showalter’s gynocriticism theory. Gynocriticism provides distinctive framework to analyze female’s experience, subjectivity, identity, gender roles and the cultural circumstances of women’s literature. For this reason, four women-authored Amharic novels, Libuse-Tila (2020), Wede Huala (2020), Yensiha Shengo (2011) and Yegebo Firie (2010) are selected using purposive sampling technique. Employing Qualitative research approach, this study identified four major themes: childbirth, gendered language, identity and subjectivity, and representation of women in their literatures. Based on the findings of the study, childbirth represents not only biological experience and process but also an implication of cultural contestation by honoring and recognizing females’ bodies. The gendered language shows how women use language in their novels to resist patriarchal formations and to demonstrate internalized oppositions for creating space for women’s agency. The psychological analysis also indicates that female characters acquire coping mechanisms to assess the influence of societal and cultural norms and to lighten up their quest for self-definition in patriarchal oppression. Similarly, in these novels, cultural context is displayed in separation as domestic and public works which contests space reflecting and shifting gender roles and realities. Besides, it presents how women’s literary texts serve as a medium for articulating their identity, resistance, and resilience. 

Keywords: Childbirth; gendered language; gynocriticism; subjectivity; women-authored

Author Biographies

Habtam Fikru, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Bahir Dar University.

Tesfaye Dagnew, Associate Professor, Departmen

Sintayehu Genet, Assistant Professor