The Hidden History of New Women in Serbian Culture: Toward a New History of Literature

Description

Settled in the nineteenth century, a period of national liberation, this book presents facts about the contribution of women to Serbian culture. The story is, however, of an equal contemporary as well as of historical relevance: work of these authors remained hidden as they were neither adequately evaluated in school curriculums and textbooks, nor recognized by the general public. Does the absence from textbooks and literary histories imply their literature is not worth reading? Or, that the histories of literature are simply biased and inadequate? The answers to these questions are elaborated in this book. The author carefully investigates the strategies of historians and official politics of remembrance, arguing that the link between women's education and emancipation of the society has yet to be properly explained. The reader, whether a student, researcher, social scientist, or an intellectual interested in the history, social development, literature, or politics of Serbia, or the Balkan in general, will benefit from the numerous original sources consulted. This book is a reminder that understanding society means uncovering the hidden and giving voice to the ignored, providing evidence that contradicts dominant theories, rather than simply repeating what we are told. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction Notes Part I: The New Women and their Cultural Contributions Chapter 1: Draga Gavrilović, the First Serbian Female Novelist: The Old and New Interpretations Male Authority over Knowledge Draga Gavrilović’s Resistance to the Patriarchal Culture and Literature Gendered Norms and Individual Motivations The Degradation of the “Women Who Think” Notes Chapter 2: Queen Natalija Obrenović: The Complexity of Her Public Engagements and Her Different Contributions to Serbian Society and Culture Discrepancy in Literary Reception and Historiographical Research Well-Known Biographical Facts New Biographical Insights Correspondence Book of Stories: A Mother and a Son The Book of Aphorisms Notes Chapter 3: Milka Aleksić Grgurova: An Actress Taking on the World of Writing Building a Successful Acting Career An Actress Taking on the World of Writing Grgurova’s Writing in the Context of Serbian Literary Production Practicing Craft in Other Genres Notes Chapter 4: Jelena J. Dimitrijević, A World-Traveler: The Authority of the New Women’s Knowledge The Distinctive Feminist Poetics of the First Generation of Serbian Female Writers Jelena J. Dimitrijević’s Feminism and her Travel Writings Comparing Dimitrijević’s Travelogues to the Canonical Serbian Writers of Travel Literature Notes Part II: Some of the Men Who Supported New Women Chapter 5: Dragutin Ilić and Queen Natalija The Liberal, Antidogmatic, and Anticlerical Spirit of Dragutin Ilić Queen Natalija’s Novel Perceiving Woman Differently Notes Chapter 6: Uroš Predić and Danica Bandić Early South Slavic Women Writers of the Children’s Literature and Evaluation of their Work Tera Baba Kozliće Provoking Gender and Cultural Stereotype Predić’s Illustrations “The Third Subjectivity” Notes Part III: The Construction, Reconstruction, and Deconstruction of Memory of New Women Chapter 7: Rediscovering Serbian Women’s Memoirs: Gendered Comparison in a Historical Context Memoirs and/in Serbian History Women’s Memoirs Rediscovered Memoirs: A Gendered Comparison Notes Chapter 8: A Bibliography: A Tool for Reconstructing the History of Women Translators The Main Findings Women Engaged in Translation Notes Chapter 9: From a Ruined Tomb to the First Public Monument Dedicated to a Woman: Constructing the Memory of the First Serbian Poetess The Most Important Details of Milica Stojadinović’s Life and Work What Happened after the Golden Ages of Milica Stojadinović’s Glory? How Exactly Did Women React to the Skerlić’s Text? Actions with Big Impacts Notes Chapter 10: The Remembering Project: The First Album of Famous Women in Serbian Culture Three Groundbreaking Achievements of Srpkinja Correcting and Regulating Public Memory of Significant Women in Serbian Culture The Differences between the Almanac and the Album How It All Started? The Album and the Concept of Women’s Fame The Importance of Srpkinja The Reception of Srpkinja: Its Fate Notes Conclusion Bibliography Original Literary Works Secondary Sources Index About the Author