Discourses of Female Ageing in the Works of Erica Jong Ieva Stončikaitė
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Discourses of female ageing in the works of Erica Jong Ieva Stončikaitė http://hdl.handle.net/10803/458558 ADVERTIMENT. L'accés als continguts d'aquesta tesi doctoral i la seva utilització ha de respectar els drets de la persona autora. Pot ser utilitzada per a consulta o estudi personal, així com en activitats o materials d'investigació i docència en els termes establerts a l'art. 32 del Text Refós de la Llei de Propietat Intel·lectual (RDL 1/1996). Per altres utilitzacions es requereix l'autorització prèvia i expressa de la persona autora. En qualsevol cas, en la utilització dels seus continguts caldrà indicar de forma clara el nom i cognoms de la persona autora i el títol de la tesi doctoral. No s'autoritza la seva reproducció o altres formes d'explotació efectuades amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva comunicació pública des d'un lloc aliè al servei TDX. Tampoc s'autoritza la presentació del seu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX (framing). 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Esta reserva de derechos afecta tanto al contenido de la tesis como a sus resúmenes e índices. WARNING. Access to the contents of this doctoral thesis and its use must respect the rights of the author. It can be used for reference or private study, as well as research and learning activities or materials in the terms established by the 32nd article of the Spanish Consolidated Copyright Act (RDL 1/1996). Express and previous authorization of the author is required for any other uses. In any case, when using its content, full name of the author and title of the thesis must be clearly indicated. Reproduction or other forms of for profit use or public communication from outside TDX service is not allowed. Presentation of its content in a window or frame external to TDX (framing) is not authorized either. These rights affect both the content of the thesis and its abstracts and indexes. DOCTORAL THESIS DISCOURSES OF FEMALE AGEING IN THE WORKS OF ERICA JONG Ieva Stončikaitė TESI DOCTORAL DISCOURSES OF FEMALE AGEING IN THE WORKS OF ERICA JONG Ieva Stončikaitė Memòria presentada per optar al grau de Doctor per la Universitat de Lleida Programa de Doctorat en Territori, Patrimoni i Cultura amb Menció cap a l'Excel·lència Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Núria Casado-Gual Dr. Mª Isabel Santaulària-Capdevila Lleida, 2017 To My Grandmother Aldona, My Beautiful Sunshine TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements 6 Abstract 8 Introduction 14 Chapter I: Erica Jong and the Reception of Her Work 21 Introduction 21 An Overview of Erica Jong’s Career 22 Erica Jong’s Literary Debut: Her Early Poems 24 Fear of Flying: The Book That Ignited the Flame 25 Erica Jong’s Career After Fear of Flying 35 Erica Jong’s Historical Fiction 38 Erica Jong’s Later Works 41 Erica Jong: The Contradictory Media Star 44 Conclusions 48 Chapter II: Ageing Studies: A Theoretical Framework 50 Introduction 50 Changing Social Demographics and Understandings of Old Age 52 Ageing As a Narrative of Decline 58 The Successful Ageing Discourse and Its Critical Perspectives 62 Feminist Approaches to Ageing Studies 70 Cultural Perspectives in Gerontological Studies 75 Literary Gerontology 79 Conclusions 82 Chapter III: Ageing Body Politics In The Works of Erica Jong 86 Introduction 86 The Body in the Anti-Ageing Era 88 The Female Body and the Male Gaze 93 The Surgical Face ‘Repair’ 101 Erica Jong’s Sociocultural Milieu 110 Conclusions 117 Chapter IV: Ageing, Sex, and Sexuality 120 Introduction 120 Sexual Freedom, Female Sexuality, and Sexual Language 122 Sexual Travelling As a Means of Female Liberation 127 Sex As a Source of Danger and Destruction 132 A Counter-Narrative to Post/Menopause 140 The Pleasures and Perils of Online Dating 147 Alternative Sexual Practices in Later Life 150 Emotional Intimacies and the Home Space 156 Conclusions 162 Chapter V: Ageing and the Complexities of Motherhood 166 Introduction 166 From ‘Fear of Pregnancy’ to the Glorification of Motherhood 169 Transformations in a Love-Hate Mother-Daughter Relationship 188 Discovering the Joys of Grandmotherhood 197 Conclusions 201 Chapter VI: Ageing, Creativity, Wisdom, and Death 204 Introduction 204 From ‘Fear of Writing’ to a Growth of Self-Confidence 207 The Meanings of Life and Death 222 Parental Care, Bereavement, and Spiritual Transitions 231 Self-Transcendence in India 244 The Creation of a Personal Narrative 249 Conclusions 255 Conclusions 258 Works Cited 266 Primary Sources 266 Fiction 266 Poems 267 Non-Fiction 267 Other Sources 268 Secondary Sources 268 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation was possible thanks to a three-year doctoral scholarship from the University of Lleida and the people who have contributed to it in a myriad of ways. An attempt to thank everybody who has been significant along the way of writing this thesis is quite futile. Yet, there are some people whose names cannot be unaddressed. In the first place, I owe a huge amount of thanks to my thesis supervisors, Dr. Núria Casado and Dr. Isabel Santaulària, for their constant support and mentorship of the entire thesis. Thank you both for dedicating your time and patience to synthesise my woolly ideas, to endeavour to read and proofread my numerous draft versions, and to help me to improve the final text. Having invested in me as a student and believed in my potential has made this thesis come into existence and also made me grow in many ways. I am also deeply indebted to the members of the research group, Grup Dedal-Lit, who have introduced me to cultural gerontology. Grup Dedal-Lit members have been important sources of my professional development, encouraging words and inspiration during these last years. I am very fortunate to be able to work with this wonderful group of researchers and to have been given an opportunity to learn from and contribute to the enriching field of ageing studies. I am very thankful to Dr. Thomas Austenfeld, the Professor of American Literature at the University of Fribourg, for his help with the grant application for a four-month PhD scholarship, his expertise knowledge, and his inspiring lectures on American literature during my research stay in Fribourg, Switzerland. Thanks also goes to Dr. Suzanne Bailey, the Professor of English Literature at Trent University, for her rich and insightful comments, a significant exchange of thoughts, and her kind guidance during my short doctoral stay in Peterborough and Toronto, Canada. I should also like to thank Dr. Mark Skinner, Canada Research Chair in Rural Ageing, Health and Social Care, for giving me an opportunity to be the first graduate student at the TCAS (Trent Centre for Ageing and Society). A debt of a different kind is owed to Dr. Stephen Katz, with whom I had the pleasure to exchange views about ageing and who has kindly assisted me during my research stay in Canada in many different ways. I extend my gratitude to ACT (Ageing, Communication, Technologies) research project, Concordia University, Canada, and to Dr. Roberta Maierhofer, who gave me a great opportunity to participate in the Graz Summer School 2016 and in the 1st Joint ENAS & NANAS 6 Conference in Graz 2017, where I met brilliant and inspiring people. I am also very thankful to Dr. Ulla Kriebernegg and Dr. Nickianne Moody for their acceptance to read and evaluate the final version of my thesis. There are many more debts that cannot be measured but are equally significant along my journey through this dissertation. My special warm thanks to Vasi Mocanu, Dr. Maria Rosa Garrido, and Erin Yunes, who have been my shining stars and coffee- break companions in Lleida, Fribourg, and Toronto respectively. I would also like to thank my other close friends who share the passion for dancing and travelling, for it kept me going. Last but not least, I express my love and gratitude to my family who has motivated me from within and made sure that my enthusiasm did not wear off. Thank you for your unflagging love and encouragement in countless ways. *Parts of some chapters that are present in this dissertation appeared in: “Erica Jong: From a Youthful Fear of Flying to a More Experienced Landing in Her Late Years.” In Núria Casado-Gual, Emma Domínguez-Rué, and Brian J. Worsfold (eds), Literary Creativity and the Older Woman Writer: A Collection of Critical Essays. Bern: Peter Lang, 2016, pp. 149-173 “‘No, My Husband Isn’t Dead, [But] One Has to Re-Invent Sexuality’: Reading Erica Jong for the Future of Aging.” Societies. 7:11, 2017. Web: <www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/7/2/11> “Success in Old Age; Only for Select Ageless Centenarians? Critical Insights into the Measures of Successful Ageing.” International Network for Critical Gerontology.