Feminist Discourse and Literary Representation in Turn-of-the-Century Greece: Kallirrhoe Siganou-Parren's "The Books of Dawn"

The second half of the nineteenth century was an era of reconstruction for the modern Greek state. The new nation struggled to redefine its ethnicity by means of a two-directional, ostensibly paradoxical approach: by modernizing its society, Westernizing it, and at the same time by rediscovering its fundamental Greekness in local customs and mores. The "woman question," which raised feminist awareness in Greek society toward the end of the nineteenth century, influenced the nation's cultural evolution. Literature began reflecting the new role women were expected to play in this evolution. Kallirrhoë Siganou-Parren, the leader of the feminist movement at the turn of the century, exploited the needs of society in the nascent Greek nation in order to advance her own feminist agenda. Toward this end, she wrote The Books of Dawn, a trilogy of novels that promote a new model of women, educated and independent but also maternal-capable of raising citizens willing to sacrifice everything for their nation's security and social progress. In addition, Parren's novels present a new gender relationship within marriage and a new, more liberal way of child-rearing.