Female's Elegy under Phallocentrism: Tragic Connotations of Three Modes of Maternal Filicide in Western Literature

Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v3i1.692

Wenqing Shao

School of language and literature, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, Shandong, China

Abstract

Maternal filicide, the murder of a child by a mother, is a multifaceted phenomenon with complexity. This paper explores the motif of maternal filicide and divides the it in Western literature into three categories according to the mode, that is, revenge, compassion and redemption mode, respectively represented by three typical mothers (Medea, Abbie and Seth). By comparing their reason and pattern, their tragedies under Phallocentrism are further analyzed. On this basis, it is pointed out that maternal filicide incarnates female's failure in Phallocentric context because of female subject's self-alienation, female predicament, and incapability to get rid of the fate of being dependent on the patriarchal society.

Keywords

maternal filicide, "mother killing child" motif, Phallocentrism

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References

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