Representing M(other): A Cixousian Reading of Memoirs Written by Jeanette Winterson and Elif Shafak

Abstract

Writing about themselves, women return to their mothers and secure their self-identification by writing about the newly founded mother-daughter relationship. Nonetheless, depicting the concept of the mother is remarkably onerous because her image is either idealized by the patriarchal society or overlooked as a passive character under the masculine power of the father. Therefore, in order to depict a fair image of the mother, woman writers are compelled to stand against this overly simplistic depiction to portray her as complex and different. In doing so, women’s self-writings will successfully remember the mother’s voice and refer to her unique qualities. In this article, I would argue that Elif Shafak’s and Jeanette Winterson’s memoirs are tightly bonded with the concept of the mother, which is compatible with the way Hé lène Cixous defines and writes about not only her mother, but motherhood in general.

Keywords

• concept of the mother
• woman-mother
• self-writing
• mother vs. father
• mother-daughter dyad
• Elif Shafak