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Diplomarbeit View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OTHES DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Out of Wedlock: Extra-Marital and Unmarried Pregnancies as Reflected in Selected Short Fiction by Contemporary Irish Women Writers“ Verfasserin Eva Marchhart, Bakk.phil. angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, 2011 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuer: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Franz Wöhrer DECLARATION OF AUTHENTICITY I confirm to have conceived and written this Diploma Thesis in English all by myself. Quotations from other authors are all clearly marked and acknowledged in the bibliographical references, either in the footnotes or within the text. Any ideas borrowed and/or passages paraphrased from the works of other authors have been truthfully acknowledged and identified in the footnotes. Signature HINWEIS Diese Diplomarbeit hat nachgewiesen, dass die betreffende Kandidatin oder der betreffende Kandidat befähigt ist, wissenschaftliche Themen selbstständig sowie inhaltlich und methodisch vertretbar zu bearbeiten. Da die Korrekturen der/des Beurteilenden nicht eingetragen sind und das Gutachten nicht beiliegt, ist daher nicht erkenntlich mit welcher Note diese Arbeit abgeschlossen wurde. Das Spektrum reicht von sehr gut bis genügend. Die Habilitierten des Instituts für Anglistik und Amerikanistik bitten diesen Hinweis bei der Lektüre zu beachten. Reflecting badly on the ‘moral character’ of the woman, unmarried motherhood carried a stigma that was almost impossible to shake.1 1 Luddy, “Unmarried“, 110. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. IRISH WOMEN AND CHILDBIRTH - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 3 2.1 Being a Mother in Irish Society 3 2.1.1 The Conception of Motherhood in Ireland from the 1930s to the Present 6 2.1.2 Women and Sexuality in Ireland - The Struggle for Contraception and Abortion 13 2.1.3 Childbirth in Ireland - Facts and Figures 19 2.2 Traditional Irish Family Life - The Male Breadwinner Model 24 2.3 Extra-Marital Pregnancies and Unmarried Motherhood in an Irish Context - Coping with the Stigma of Illegitimacy 27 2.3.1 ‘Hiding their Shame’: Unmarried Mothers in Workhouses and Magdalen Asylums 28 2.3.2 Lone Mothers in Irish Society 34 3. IRISH WOMEN’S FICTION 39 3.1 The Irish Short Story - A Historical Overview 39 3.2 Contemporary Fiction by Irish Women Writers - Themes and Development 45 4. WORKS SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS 49 4.1 Plot Summaries 51 4.1.1 Mary Lavin: “Sarah” (1943) 51 4.1.2 Julia O’Faolain: “Rum and Coke” (1996) 52 4.1.3 Mary Rose Callaghan: “Windfalls” (1997) 52 4.1.4 Claire Keegan: “Quare Name for a Boy” (1999) 53 4.1.5 Éilís Ní Dhuibhne: “Wuff Wuff Wuff for de Valera!” (2003) 54 4.1.6 Marita Conlon-McKenna: “Flesh and Blood” (2005) 54 4.1.7 Maeve Binchy: “All that Matters” (2005) 55 4.1.8 Eithne McGuinness: “Feather Bed” (2006) 56 5. COPING WITH EXTRA-MARITAL AND UNMARRIED PREGNANCIES AS REFLECTED IN THE WORKS SELECTED 58 5.1 Giving the Illegitimate Baby up for Adoption 58 5.1.1 Marita Conlon-McKenna: “Flesh and Blood” 58 5.1.2 Maeve Binchy: “All that Matters” 65 5.1.3 Éilís Ní Dhuibhne: “Wuff Wuff Wuff for de Valera!” 69 5.1.4 Conclusion 71 5.2 Motherhood Interrupted - (Intended) Abortion 72 5.2.1 Éilís Ní Dhuibhne: “Wuff Wuff Wuff for de Valera!” 73 5.2.2 Eithne McGuinness: “Feather Bed” 75 5.2.3 Conclusion 81 5.3 Manslaughter 82 5.3.1 Mary Lavin: “Sarah” 82 5.3.2 Conclusion 88 5.4 Raising the Child as a Single Mother 89 5.4.1 Éilís Ní Dhuibhne: “Wuff Wuff Wuff for de Valera!” 89 5.4.2 Claire Keegan: “Quare Name for a Boy” 90 5.4.3 Maeve Binchy: “All that Matters” 94 5.4.4 Conclusion 98 5.5 Finding Unconventional Ways of Raising an Illegitimate Child 99 5.5.1 Mary Rose Callaghan: “Windfalls” 99 5.5.2 Julia O’Faolain: “Rum and Coke” 105 5.5.3 Conclusion 110 6. GENERAL CONCLUSION 112 Bibliography 114 Primary Literature 114 Secondary Literature 114 Electronic Sources 120 Illustrations 123 Appendix: Short Biographies of the Authors 124 Mary Lavin 124 Julia O’Faolain 124 Mary Rose Callaghan 125 Claire Keegan 126 Éilís Ní Dhuibhne 126 Marita Conlon-McKenna 127 Maeve Binchy 128 Eithne McGuinness 128 Index 129 German Summary / Deutsche Zusammenfassung 133 Curriculum Vitae 135 1. Introduction The thesis at hand aims at analysing how extra-marital and unmarried pregnancies are reflected in short stories by contemporary Irish women writers. In comparison to other European countries, Ireland occupies an extraordinary position as far as legal regulations on childbirth and related topics are concerned. Together with Malta, Ireland is the only country in Europe in which abortions are generally forbidden.1 Since 1992, abortions have been carried out in Ireland only when there is a substantial threat to the expectant mother’s life.2 Furthermore, contraception was for a long time not available in Ireland. It is only since 1993 that condoms have been legally purchasable without restrictions.3 What is more, Irish society did and partially still does disapprove of unmarried mothers. Single mothers and their children, thus, were confronted with a stigma that was almost impossible to cope with, especially in the 20th century. As a consequence, extra-marital and unmarried pregnancies often meant an economic as well as social destruction of the mother’s as well as her child’s life.4 In order to provide for a theoretical background on the topic, the first chapter of this thesis is devoted to a discussion of Ireland’s strict legal and political treatment of women in regard to the matters of childbirth, contraception and motherhood. The major focus is set on the events shortly before and after Eamon de Valera’s Constitution of 1937, as the most important political events took place in this period. Subsequently, facts and figures on childbearing in Ireland are compared to statistics of other European countries in order to highlight Ireland’s outstanding position in this matter. After briefly discussing the traditional male breadwinner family model of the Irish, the focus is shifted on extra-marital and unmarried pregnancies in an Irish context. A historical overview on unmarried mothers’ treatment in Ireland 1 Cf. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6235557.stm, n.p. 2 Cf. Simpson, n.p. 3 Cf. http://www.ifpa.ie/index.php/eng/Media-Info/History-of-Sexual-Health-in-Ireland, n.p. 4 Cf. Luddy, “Rescue“, 807. 1 forms the basis of this chapter. Moreover, their hopeless life in institutions such as workhouses and Magdalen Asylums is discussed. Then, the situation of lone mothers in the past and present is explored. The next chapter deals with the tradition of Irish short story writing as well as the rise of Irish women writers over the past decades. Subsequently, concise plot summaries provide an overview on the texts selected for analysis. The short stories chosen are all realistic slice-of-life stories, which have been published in 1943 and between 1997 and 2006. In chapter 5, an extensive and critical discussion of the short stories selected is provided. To show the different ways of coping with an illicit pregnancy, the short stories are grouped into subchapters according to their thematic orientation. The first subchapter covers stories in which an unmarried or extra-marital pregnancy leads to the decision of giving the baby up for adoption. In the second subchapter, abortion is regarded as a suitable solution to the problem of lone motherhood. Subchapter three deals with a story in which the mother of three illegitimate children brings such disgrace over her family that her brothers even provoke her death. The subsequent subchapter includes short stories in which the protagonist decides to raise the illegitimate child alone as a single mother, despite the stigma that is attached to lone motherhood. In the last subchapter, the people involved find unconventional ways of raising an illegitimate child in secret. In the end, the major insights and outcomes are summarised in a concise conclusion. Furthermore, the stories’ authenticity and realistic approach are critically debated. 2 2. Irish Women and Childbirth - A Historical Perspective Since this thesis deals with the way extra-marital and unmarried pregnancies are reflected in Irish women’s short fiction, it is essential to provide an insight into what life for (illegitimate) mothers in Irish society was and is like. Therefore, the subsequent chapters are aimed at giving a historical overview on selected events in the course of Ireland’s recent history. After a brief discussion of women’s situation in the past centuries, the major focus is set on the events shortly before and following Eamon de Valera’s Constitution of 1937. In this period, namely, the most important political events as regards motherhood have taken place. Moreover, a discussion of Irish women’s sexuality and information on facts and figures related to childbirth in Ireland are provided. Then, a further subchapter presents a short depiction of the traditional Irish family. Subsequently, the focus is set on a discussion of extra-marital and unmarried pregnancies among Irish women in the past and present. The last subchapter deals with the growing number of single mothers - partially resulting from extra- marital and unmarried pregnancies - and their lives in Irish contemporary society. 2.1 Being a Mother in Irish Society In the early 20th century, Irish women’s situation was largely determined by class, education, geographical location and religion. In urban regions like Dublin or Belfast, women contributed to political and cultural activities, such as the Suffragette Movements, Sinn Féin or the Irish Workers’ Union.
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