In my thesis I discuss Ivan Cankar’s novel Miss Judit and Motherhood by Sheila Heti, which both deal with the autonomy of a woman’s decision whether or not to become a mother. In the first part of the thesis I explored sociological-theoretical perspectives on the position of women, their social, familial and gender roles in a socio-historical perspective, focusing on the changing conception and role of motherhood. Alongside the idea that a woman who does not want to become a mother is deviant and perceived as abnormal in society, I further reflected on women’s autonomy, sexuality, desire and the morality that these concepts imply. I also referred to Nietzsche’s philosophy of desire and morality, which influenced Ivan Cankar’s literary work and conception of desire. In the second, literary-theoretical part, I briefly outlined the theory of the novel, (auto)biography and the process of essayisation. In the third, interpretive part, I analysed and compared both protagonists. Both reflect on meaning, relationships, the meaning of art, morality of society and their own position within it from the perspective of someone who has realised the arbitrariness of their gender, social and familial roles and therefore resists the categorisation to which the principle of conventional life wants to confine them. The essential difference between the two novels is the extent of doubt – this is much more constitutional in Sheila Heti’s novel, as the whole narrative evolves cyclically around the questions posed by the protagonist, while Judit categorically rejects motherhood before the novel begins. Although the novels were written a century apart and much has changed between their publication, especially in the range of social and career options available to women, the protagonists face similar doubts, hardships and negative reactions from their surroundings.
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