ThisbookexaminesarchetypalmotifsrelatedtoaspectsofhumanrelationshipsincontemporaryIrishwomen’sshortstoriesfromthelate1960stothepresent.Theserelationshipsexaminedembracenotonlyrelationshipsbetweenmenandwomen,asmarriedcouplesandlovers,butalsowomentowomenrelationshipsasmothers,daughters,sistersorlovers.ThisbookhasuncoveredcertainrecurrentmotifswhichmaybeconstruedasarchetypalandareemployedasanarrativedevicetoexpressacertainleveloffeministawarenessbyIrishfemalewritersintheirstoriesagainstthebackdropofIrishfeminismemergedinthelate1960s.
ThisfeministaspectofIrishwomen’sstoriesappearstoaddresstheparadoxesofpatriarchalideologyunderlyingmaledominationinmale/femalecourtshipandmarriages,theconflictbetweenpatriarchallyloyalmothersandrebelliousdaughters,powerless,butrival,femalesiblingsandpeerscompetingforlimitedresourcesandmaleattentionundertheFather’slaw.MotifsofresistanceandsubversionserveinthesestoriesasmetaphorsunveilingfemaleprotestsagainstanideologywhichdefinesandconfineswomenintheIrishpatriarchalcontext.
ThisbookdemonstratesaprocessoftransitionduringwhichIrishfemalewritersprogressfromthedepictionofwomenwhostruggleandfightagainstunfairnessanddistortionwithinan‘androcentric’culturetoanewdirectioninwhichsuchwritersdescribeasituationwherewomenrecognisetheinternalisationofthe‘falseconsciousness’ofpatriarchyand,outofthisrecognition,maybeeventuallyabletodevelopfurthertheirsenseofselfandindividuality.ThearchetypalmotifsinIrishwomen’sstoriesalsoillustrateakindofcontinuityofanancientfemalearchetypeoffemalerebelliouspowerswhichinfemaleliteraryimaginationneverceasestoresurfaceinthefaceofpatriarchalsuppression.
