Aira Kaalust Mari Saadini. Nõukogude eesti naisarenguromaan ja selle lugemisviisid
Kuupäev
2018-07-09
Autorid
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Abstrakt
Väitekirjas vaadeldakse nõukogude eesti naisautorite teoseid, mida võib näha kui naisarenguromaane – romaane sellest, kuidas noorepoolne naistegelane elus oma kohta otsib, püüab jõuda selgusele oma tahtmistes ning lepitada neid sotsiaalsete ootustega. Nõukogude perioodi puhul on huvitav ennekõike see, kuidas kujutatakse naistegelase isiklikku ja ühiskondlikku arengut tingimustes, kus totalitaarne riigikord propageerib ülalt alla „naisemantsipatsiooni“ ideed, kuid praktika on märksa mitmekihilisem.
Selle uurimiseks visandatakse väitekirjas kaks viisi neid romaane lugeda: esiteks tavapärase nõukogude eesti kirjandusloo osana, mispuhul on eelduseks, et (hea) kirjandus tõstab mässu valitseva korra ja nõukogude kirjandusideoloogia vastu; teiseks feministlike lugudena naiste ühiskondlikust eneseteostusest. Võiks arvata, et need kaks lugemisviisi on 180-kraadises vastuolus – naise „ühiskondlikuks saamine“ on igav ja võimutruu süžee, mida pole võimalik võtta tõsiseltvõetava arenguloona. Materjalist selgub aga, et nii lihtne on asi harva. Kommunismi rajale pöörduv kangelanna võib meenutada pahelist filmidiivat; tööelus pettuv ja tuumikperekonda ihaldav noor naine võib mõjuda väga nõukogulikuna.
Lähema analüüsi all on peamiselt 1960. aastatest pärit sõjaromaanid Luise Vaherilt, Lilli Prometilt ja Aimée Beekmanilt ning peamiselt 1970. aastatest pärit nn abieluromaanid Veera Saarelt, Aimée Beekmanilt, Aino Pervikult ja teistelt. Üldise tendentsina joonistub välja, et naisautorite sõjaromaanides esindavad n-ö naiselikud argitoimetused isiklikku ja tsiviilelu, mis mängitakse välja vastandina avalikule, maskuliinsele, heroilisele sõjanarratiivile. Seevastu abieluromaanides kipub isegi intiimsfääri kujutamine ümber tõlgenduma avalik-ühiskondlikuks, lausa sotsioloogiliseks kommentaariks. Eelloona tutvustatakse kaht Aira Kaalu 1950. aastatel ilmunud pikemat proosateost, järelloona kaht Mari Saadi 1980.–1990. aastate romaani.
The dissertation examines works by Soviet Estonian women writers that can be seen as female Bildungsromane – novels that focus on the young female protagonist's quest for a meaningful idea of herself and her role in society, seeking to reconcile her own wants and desires with societal expectations. The main interest lies in the depiction of personal growth of literary women characters under a totalitarian regime whose ideology places great emphasis on women's emancipation, whereas practice is notably more complex. Two modes for reading this kind of material are sketched: firstly, as part of the established narrative of Soviet Estonian literary history, presuming that (good) literature rebels against the regime and its literary ideology; secondly, as feminist narratives of women characters' self-realization in society. One might think those two modes always collide; a story about a woman's involvement in the public sphere seems to be a conformist Soviet plot that under the circumstances cannot account for a serious novel of development. However, the material proves otherwise. A communist heroine may bear surprising resemblance to a dangerous diva; a young woman giving up on her career and yearning for a nuclear family may appear very Soviet-minded. The dissertation focusses on two thematic clusters of works: war novels dating mostly from the 1960s by Luise Vaher, Lilli Promet and Aimée Beekman, and “marriage novels” dating mostly from the 1970s by Veera Saar, Aimée Beekman, Aino Pervik and others. As a general tendency, in war novels by Soviet Estonian women authors, “feminine” everyday matters exemplify the private sphere and are cleverly played out against the public, masculine, heroic war narrative. In the marriage novels, on the other hand, depictions of the intimate tend to translate into a social, even sociological commentary. Two longer prose works from the 1950s by Aira Kaal are briefly considered as a prologue to the story of the Soviet Estonian female Bildungsroman; two novels from the 1980s–1990s by Mari Saat as an epilogue.
The dissertation examines works by Soviet Estonian women writers that can be seen as female Bildungsromane – novels that focus on the young female protagonist's quest for a meaningful idea of herself and her role in society, seeking to reconcile her own wants and desires with societal expectations. The main interest lies in the depiction of personal growth of literary women characters under a totalitarian regime whose ideology places great emphasis on women's emancipation, whereas practice is notably more complex. Two modes for reading this kind of material are sketched: firstly, as part of the established narrative of Soviet Estonian literary history, presuming that (good) literature rebels against the regime and its literary ideology; secondly, as feminist narratives of women characters' self-realization in society. One might think those two modes always collide; a story about a woman's involvement in the public sphere seems to be a conformist Soviet plot that under the circumstances cannot account for a serious novel of development. However, the material proves otherwise. A communist heroine may bear surprising resemblance to a dangerous diva; a young woman giving up on her career and yearning for a nuclear family may appear very Soviet-minded. The dissertation focusses on two thematic clusters of works: war novels dating mostly from the 1960s by Luise Vaher, Lilli Promet and Aimée Beekman, and “marriage novels” dating mostly from the 1970s by Veera Saar, Aimée Beekman, Aino Pervik and others. As a general tendency, in war novels by Soviet Estonian women authors, “feminine” everyday matters exemplify the private sphere and are cleverly played out against the public, masculine, heroic war narrative. In the marriage novels, on the other hand, depictions of the intimate tend to translate into a social, even sociological commentary. Two longer prose works from the 1950s by Aira Kaal are briefly considered as a prologue to the story of the Soviet Estonian female Bildungsroman; two novels from the 1980s–1990s by Mari Saat as an epilogue.
Kirjeldus
Märksõnad
history of literature, Estonian, women writers, feminist literature, novels, bildungsroman, gender roles, fiction, Soviet period, ideologies, interpretation, reception, reading research, feminism, nationalism, Anti-Sovietism, literary criticism