The Tigress in the Snow

About this book

"The Tigress in the Snow explores how literature was influenced by and helped to shape notions of motherhood in twentieth-century Italy. From late-nineteenth century religious iconography, to the Fascist regime's campaign to boost Italy's birthrate, to more recent feminist challenges to traditional gender roles, this study demonstrates that concepts of motherhood and the social status associated with mothers were subject to constant negotiation. Examining how this negotiation came to be represented in literature, Laura Benedetti looks at four generations of women writers, stressing their similarities and differences, as well as their complex interactions with their male counterparts and their reactions to changes in Italian society." "Drawing on examples from a wide range of novels, plays, poems, and short stories as well as from critical and public debate, the book highlights literature's role in the formation of cultural discourses up to the dawn of the twenty-first century. An intriguing look at the changing nature of the maternal role in a culture that has always put strong emphasis on the institution of motherhood, this volume goes further to show how literature investigates, shapes, and envisions social models for the present and future."--Jacket.