Problems of Feminine Language and Self-representation in Poetic Texts of Ingeborg Bachmann and Lia Sturua. (English)

LACAN, Jacques, 1901-1981; CIXOUS, Helene, 1937-

Feminist theories mainly take the initial from the idea that there exists an established identity expressing the category of "woman". The identity shall create the subject that may be politically and historically represented. The concept "representation" has two functions in this case: on the one hand it gives more public visibility and legitimacy to the woman as a subject, and on the other hand, the representation is considered to be a normative function of the language either revealing or distorting the category of woman. Feminist theories/literary studies often see the creation of such language as the main need for the full and adequate representation achieving the public visibility of women (establishment as the subject). This article analyzes some lyrical works of Austrian Ingeborg Bachmann and Georgian Lia Sturua from the perspective of post-structuralism, namely, Jacques Derrida's concept of written language and its binary nature, Lacan's denial of the Woman's existence and the subject's shift to the symbolic order, also Julia Kristeva's, Luce Irigaray's, Hélène Cixous' ideas on problems of feminine language and self-representation in the patriarchal/symbolic order. The analysis of poems of Ingeborg Bachmann and Lia Sturua shall highlight specific features of feminine language and challenges to the self-representation of woman. Poststructuralists argue that the subject is not free in the order of language and signs, as the subject itself does not create the order. In the universal order in its turn, characteristics are created which are not subject to discourse control. Writing is usually privileged over spoken words. Since written text cannot speak, it therefore allows interpretation, meaning that a text will not be the same in different contexts. The meaning of a lingual sign can be determined. However, as its meaning is different in different contexts, the author focuses on the endless game of signs. According to Derrida's view if the exact concept of linguistic signs is unlikely to be defined, an adequate reflection of the world is also doubtful. Jacques Lacan considers that the father gives birth to the subject through language, while mother gives physical birth. The father, as understood by Lacan, implies the first prohibition. The first prohibition is incest and the conscious and unconscious emerge through entering the symbolic order. According to Lacan, there is no place for the woman in the symbolic order. Lacan claims that the woman does not exist, that she is in the prelinguistic imagination and is identified with her mother. For Lacan, feminine is connected with passion and it always threatens a symbolic order as it is unconscious and seduces the man. The French feminist and theoretician argues that the task of the female is to adopt masculine sexuality and imagination while being alienated from her own imagination and sexuality. In order for a hierarchical system of values, such as: light-dark, one-many, etc., in which a woman is identified with her subordinate, to be overcome, the above-mentioned hierarchy must be inverted which will be a prerequisite for a female to be shown as a subject. According to Hélène Cixous, in a symbolic, patriarchal order, women must resort to self-discovery, which means first of all finding their own, original language and, consequently, finding a place to belong. According to the theorist, language can be found in the pre-Oedipal imagination as it is the pre-Oedipal where feminine language can be found. Writing allows the woman to find the self and therefore, identity, and it allows her to overcome the state of silence and paly with words thus changing meanings to words and foregrounds the unconscious. Julia Kristeva discusses the coexistence of semiotic and symbolic in the language and considers the semiotic in connection with the female and the symbolic in connection with the male. In the pre-Oedipal phase, voice, sound is not structured, and through the transition to the pre-Oedipal phase the utterance acquires meaning under the influence of grammar, syntax, and conventions. In the symbolic order, however, it is very difficult for the woman to find her identity, as she either withdraws from the order or is only left with the choice to unite with it. In this article poems („Wie sol lich mich nennen?”, Entfremdung", „Erklär mir, Liebe!”) of Austrian German language female author Ingebrog Bachmann and poems ("Call your doctor", "Love?!") of Georgian poet Lia Sturua are analyzed. Ingeborg Bachman complains about the limits of language that make language ambiguous and that present some difficulty for the poet, since it is impossible to go beyond the limits through language. In the poem „Erklär mir, Liebe!” ("Tell me, Love") the lyrical I has two options for changing the language and making it beautiful: either it has to change the language, or employ individual forms of use. The lyrical I chooses the latter. The poet gives her opinion that unanimity is not a prerequisite for finding the truth and that one truth may point to the other. The existence of the limits somehow indicates that they might be overcome that the lyrical I does not believe. The lyrical I from the poem of Ingeborg Bachmann "Alienation" thinks it impossible for concepts to be monosemantic. The impossibility of monosemy in language makes the lyrical I to consider the powerlessness of language. The problem of self-identity is highlighted in the third poem of the Austrian author analyzed in this research. The problem of self-identity is raised in the complaint of the lyrical I that one part of her cannot cease singing and, therefore, leave the pre-Oedipal. Though the masculinized culture forces her to leave the pre-Oedipal and shift to the symbolic order. In her poem "Call the doctor", Georgian poet Lia Sturua describes the problem of the construction of feminine identity which is caused by the patriarchal culture. This quest for identity is difficult for the lyrical I as it carries the features ascribed to her by the patriarchal culture and therefore, it is not easy for her to separate the original from the acquired. Lia Sturua's poem clearly shows problems caused by the crisis of self-identity crisis, leading to hysteria, and hysteria is perceived as a female disease. In the poem "Love?!", the lyrical I is seized with the fear of words, since in the pre-Oedipal phase (culture) free play with words equals self-destruction and with Lia Sturua, we find two options, the choice between which is difficult. The analysis of the texts shows clearly difficulties women encounter in search for identity in the patriarchal order, as women live in the world where she has created neither language, nor culture and it is difficult for her to find her original place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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