|
|
Article: Realism and sentimentalism in Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach's Unsuhnbar.(Critical essay)
- Article from:
- The Modern Language Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Modern Humanities Research Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
ABSTRACT
Unsuhnbar (1890) is a realist novel of female adultery, through which Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach criticizes contemporary society. She highlights the inequality of the double standard of sexual morality, and examines women's internalization of the values of patriarchal society. Ebner also uses a sentimental discourse to exonerate her heroine from the symbolic blame usually attached to an adulteress and to enable the reader to infer the protagonist's inner state. However, the author too has internalized some of the values of patriarchy. This article therefore also examines the link between the transgression of the adulteress and that of the female author.