Female Identity Reconstruction

As one of the leading figures in the British literary world, A. S. Byatt (1936—) has demonstrated in her works a prevailing concern for women’s living conditions. Possession:A Romance, winner of the1990Booker Prize, generally considered to be her masterpiece and the focus of critics’studies, is a novel once more about women’s life. Critics at home and abroad have made approaches to this "magic book" from different perspectives such as feminism, archetypal criticism, psychoanalysis, or narrative strategies, and have made fruitful achievements. Among the previous studies made on Possession, some pay attention to Byatt’s unique feminist consciousness, but few critics have focused on the reflection of Postmodern Feminism in this novel.This thesis, based on Postmodern Feminism’s view of women’s discourse power and individual "difference", attempts to explore Byatt’s reconstruction of female identity in Possession. It comprises three parts—Introduction, the main body, and conclusion. Introduction makes general comments on A. S. Byatt’s literary achievements and her position in contemporary British literature, and then gives a briefing of research object and the main criticism on Possession. Chapter one recommends Postmodern Feminism thoroughly, especially the concepts of discourse power and individual "difference". Chapter two discusses how the silenced women in Possession retrieve their discourse power. Since the patriarchal society, women such as Ellen and Blanche have been deprived of discourse right. However, Maud and Roland’s seeking journey has changed the status of women’s anepia. They discovered large amount of female narrative texts, which constructs such a powerful female narrative group. With their discovery, the silenced women in Possession successfully regain their deserved public voices. Chapter three focuses on Byatt’s reconciliation of diversity between the sexes, and within women. Byatt states the existing differences between men and women in Possession, and proposes men and women should build specific gender equality instead of traditional abstract one. Besides, Byatt also senses the differences within women, such as different countries, different eras and so on. Therefore she educates modern females to cherish the selves and build a sisterhood with each other. Based on the analysis above, chapter four explores Byatt’s rebuilding female identity in Possession. On the base of retrieving discourse power and reconciling the "difference", Byatt affirms female artists’dual identity, not only the spokesmen for women’s rights but also the cooperators for men. The conclusion part restates the main point of this thesis. Byatt shows her acceptance with Postmodern Feminism. She invites readers’participation in rebuilding female identity in Possession and spurs reader’s reflection on women’s living conditions, revealing her best wish for a harmonious society.