1 2 3 University of Miskolc Faculty of Arts Institute of Applied Social Sciences A Woman’s Place: A Study of Four English and Hungarian Novels MASTER THESIS Name of Student: Supervisor: Merve Hançer Colin Swatridge Central European Studies MA Visiting Senior Lecturer Miskolc,2021 4 ABSTRACT In this thesis, first of all, I intent to analyze in detail the concept of feminism and the repre- sentation of female characters in both English and Hungarian literature pointing out the similarities and differences between them. Then, I will give some information about Virginia Woolf, Jeanette Winterson from English literature and Magda Szabo and Margit Kaffka from Hungarian literature and I shall elucidate examples from Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway, Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry, Szabo’s The Door and Iza’s Ballad and at last Kaffka’s Colours and Years. In the conclusion, I am going to summarize the important points of feminism in the chosen books. The reason why I chose this topic is because feminism as a movement gathered pace in the twentieth century and there is not any work about the comparison of Hungarian and English literature in terms of the representation of female characters in the selected novels. So I decided to fill the gap. Keywords: Virginia Woolf, Jeanette Winterson, Magda Szabo, Margit Kaffka, feminism, English literature, Hungarian literature, new woman, communist regime, the Victorian era 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction………………………………………………………….………….………8 1.1. Feminism in Britain……………………………………………………….………12 1.2. Feminism in Hungary …………………………………………….………………14 2. Virginia Woolf………………………………………………………………….….……20 2.1. Mrs. Dalloway……………………………………………………………..…….…22 2.2. To the Lighthouse……………………………………………………………….…25 3. Jeanette Winterson…………………………………………………………….…….…30 3.1. Sexing the Cherry…………………………………………………………….……31 4. Margit Kaffka…………………………………………………………………….….…36 4.1. Colours and Years…………………………………………………………………37 5. Magda Szabo……………………………………………………………………………41 5.1. Iza’s Ballad…………………………………………………………..………….…42 5.2. The Door………………………………………………………………..……….…46 6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………….…..…….……52 7. Works Cited…………………………………………………………......…….….……55 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my endless gratitude to my supervisor, Colin Swatridge who guided me with great patience and tried to do his best to help me during the process of writing my thesis. I am also greatly thankful to my dear mother, Asiye Hançer, and my sisters, all of whom believed in me, supported me, and helped me overcome my stress while I was writing this thesis. Last but not least, I wish to state my indebtedness to my teachers at the Department of Central European Studies at University of Miskolc, for their most valuable contribution to my education. I owe a lot to Szabó-Tóth Kinga Dóra. I would like to thank all of them as they paved the way for me. 7 One is not born woman, but rather becomes one. (Simone de Beauvoir) INTRODUCTION Throughout history, the terms sex and gender have been frequently used interchangeably. Even though both of the terms are interconnected at heart to identify man and woman, this embran- gled usage of the terms have still been in use from the eighteenth century when the issue of femi- nism, the problematic position of women held sway. According to the World Health Organization regional office for Europe, “sex as characteristics that are biologically defined, whereas gender is based on socially constructed features” (ons.gov.uk). Witting states that “sex is taken as an “imme- diate given,” “a sensible given,” “physical features,” belonging to natural order” (Butler 114). Be- sides, the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language states that it is “the condition or char- acter of being female or male; the physiological, functional, and psychological differences that dis- tinguish the female and the male.” In the light of these definitions, it can be asserted that the term is basically associated with biological aspects of the human which marks a difference between man and woman in physical and psychological aspects of people. On the other hand, gender as a term differs from sex by implying the cultural and ideological aspects of people. Matsumoto asserts that “gender refers to the cultural, social, and psychological aspects of being defined as female or male” (216). Also, World Health Organization defines gender as refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. According to Butler, “Gender is the mechanism by which notions of masculine and feminine are produced and naturalized, but gender might very well be the apparatus by which such terms are deconstructed and denaturalized” (Butler 42, Undoing Gender). Linda Linsley states that 8 Gender refers to those social, cultural and psychological traits linked to males and females through particular social contexts. Sex makes us male or female; gender makes us masculine or feminine. Sex is an ascribed status because a person is born with it, but gender is an achieved status because it must be learned. (4) At this point, a question is raised that how gender can be learned. Matsumoto argues that A gender role is a learned set of behaviors associated with women or men. These be- haviors are so strongly associated with each sex that the set of behaviors comes to define masculinity and femininity in any given culture … Gender roles exist in all cultures, but the specific behaviors that are associated with the female or male gen- der role vary across cultures, making gender roles universal yet specific to each cul- ture. (217) As the statements made by different scholars can be seen above, although the definitions of sex and gender may differ from each other, they have been used interchangeably for a long time with a similar meaning. In short, while sex is a term which is related to the biological aspect of man and woman, gender marks the social difference between man and woman and their roles in societies. So, when it can be clearly observed throughout centuries, men are regarded as strong, ra- tional, superior, educated, and as breadwinner whereas women are considered to be weak, sensual, passive, obedient, nurturing and inferior. Tyson states that gender might very well be the apparatus “traditional gender roles cast men as rational, strong, protective and decisive; they cast women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing and submissive” (qtd in. Kaur 2). Although these construct- ed gender roles and identities are, today, attempted to be altered, the world of women was evidently limited in the domestic sphere where they were allowed to do the house work, to raise a child, and to perform their duties for their husbands in the past. These roles, identities and responsibilities which are attributed to women are clearly not inborn but rather culturally and ideologically con- structed by the patriarchal societies. Unfortunately, these roles are attributed to women as if they were born with these traits and thus they had to act according to these roles. 9 Herein, the significant part of these given roles and responsibilities is that they paved the way to loss of identities of women and feeling of inferiority against men, but how women were as- sociated with these negative connotations where almost all nations, cultures and countries under- reckonned women. Obviously, this long-lasting problem dates back to the creation of Adam and Eve. In the Genesis, “Adam said that this now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man”. On the basis of this statement, first of all, it can be said that women were created after men and women were not created in the same manner with man’s creation but rather she was derived from the part of man. Secondly, woman’s creation implies some degree of dependence of woman upon the man. Also, the need and purpose of the creation of woman depends on the creation of man as a helper to him. In the light of this, the ine- quality between man and woman prevails over centuries leaving woman no choice to stand on their two feet but rather be subject to man. Furthermore, during history, apart from being exposed to inequality, women have been associated with something evil and regarded as wicked creatures due to the fall of humankind when the first woman, Eve, lured man from Paradise. When we come to the Middle Ages, the hostility against women continues its dominance and in Ecclesiasticus, it is stated that “all malice is short to the malice of woman, let the lot of sinners fall upon her”. Besides, in the letters of Abelard and Heloise, it is written that “I found woman more bitter than death; she is snare, her heart a net, her arms are chains. He who is pleasing to God eludes her, but the sinner is her captive” (Gutenberg Project). On the basis of these statements, it is unquestionable truth that unfortunately, women have not received the value they indeed deserve to have. Due to this unjust treatment of women, they have never felt capable of raising their voice against inequality and asking for the rights they must have just like men. However, unfortunately, they have become more subservient and passive and constructed their identities in the sphere of the house where they can work for their husbands, fa- thers or brothers. In a way, they have created their identities by being contingent upon men in their lives. 10 Nevertheless, some women cannot stand the roles and identities given to them and protest against the government or institutions which set up the rules and limit women. They did not accept their roles in the domestic sphere only as a wife and mother which had been only deemed worthy to women, and they asked to have equal opportunities with men. As in the thesis, I will deal with the English and Hungarian female writers and their works in terms of the representation of female char- acters, it is appropriate to discuss feminism in both of the cultures.