Comparison of seven modern Slovene novels “Otroške stvari” (2003) and “Kristalni čas” (1990) by Lojze Kovačič, “Boštjanov let” (2003) and “Zmote dijaka Tjaža” (1972) by Florjan Lipuš, “Ime mi je Damjan” (2001) by Suzana Tratnik, “Nespečnost” (2006) by Vinko Möderndorfer and “Da me je strah?” (2013) by Maruša Krese has shown that changes in family, family life and roles of family members, which are observed over time and reflected in the reality can also be observed in the modern Slovenian novel. In novels, which represent the time of the first half of the 20th century, we have to do primarily with a two-parent, reorganized and expanded family. While in the novels, which are set up in the second half of the 20th century, we can also read about single-parent families, which coincides with the trends in family life in social reality where the number of single-parent families is increasing. We also noticed trends that are connected with changing of role and position of family members. Role of a female was bound to home and work in novels by Florjan Lipuš and Lojze Kovačič, which represent the time of the first half of the 20th century. Mission of the female in this period meant being a good wife, a housewife and a mother. The role of women changed in the 1960s when massive employment of women occurred, which also influenced families and family life, as women met with a double burden, that also the protagonist of a novel “Da me je strah?” met with. Care for children isn't only in the mother's domain. In the second half of the 20th century, we witness a new paternity, which means that fathers are involved in the upbringing and care of children. In the novels by Florjan Lipuš we observed a man who was the master and head of the family and preformed physical violence against a child. In novels “Nespečnost”, “Kristalni čas” and “Da me je strah?” fathers took care for their children. Position of a child has also changed. At the beginning of the 20th century he was subordinate to his parents, he had to respect them and suffer physical violence, which we observed in novels by Florjan Lipuš and Lojze Kovačič. From the second half of the 20th century a child is put to the center of attention and understood as a being that needs to be protected.
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