"Coming-to-herself:" Diverging Representations of Female Subjectivity in Eastern and Western German Literary Texts in the 1970s

Reading literary texts as mere reflections of social reality ignores their aesthetic and poetic qualities, but reading works of art as autonomous ignores any external influences. This debate over how to appreciate literature has been controversial in literary studies. Following a trend in literary scholarship in German Studies toward a more culturally oriented reading of texts, I read two texts "in creative ways to uncover or recover insight into the practical and political dialogues and struggles in which they, as cultural products, participate." ¹ I explore in particular the complex interaction between two literary texts, Verena Stefan's Shedding from West Germany and Christa Wolf's The Quest for Christa T. from East Germany, and their respective social, political, and historical contexts. Incorporating feminist discussions from historical and sociological vantage points, I read these two literary texts from the 1970s as "documents" of the women's movements and a growing feminist consciousness.

In this article, I examine feminist philosophical ideas, feminist thought, themes, and genres as represented in these two texts. I compare these two classic texts of second-wave feminism not only as literary documents but also as "interactive, as interlocative, texts as textual interventions in the social process as an active part of culture." ² I explore aesthetic questions of form and the structure of the narratives as well as the role of language in relation to feminist criticism. I embed my findings in the context of politics, ideologies, and values of the two distinct political systems and the specific historical period of the 1970s. Both works are a historical product of their time and the strong feminist movements and thoughts that were circulating in society.

The theme of female subjectivity is the strongest linking bond between them. Female subjectivity, both in Stefan's and Wolf's texts, is establishing a new trend in literature. The authors affirm the psychological dimension and link their texts with feminist critiques. By looking inside herself and locating patriarchal constraints in her own personality, each of these two female writers stressed the importance of emancipation of the female subject from the patriarchal norms. The path emerges from the restoration of a female/feminine essence or quality. In both texts, autobiographical elements seem to address this demand for individuality. In comparison to other literary forms, the autobiographical genre offers a more personal form of expression. But even autobiography here does not follow previous male models, but is instead transformed. The rupture in the form, corresponding with the political message of the feminist movements, creates a non-dominant, non-hierarchical narrative.

It is important to consider the role of literature as an expression of female subjectivity in both political systems. In the "free" West, writing became, in the feminist context, a political act of self-expression. For Stefan, it started as a therapeutic act of self-reflection. Her writing was first intended only for herself; she was acting on her right to assert herself as a "subject." However, her text, through the mechanism of revealing private but shared experiences, becomes a political document.

Could a lover's hands bring back to life the lost awareness of one's own body? Wasn't it that which we were seeking during the fleeting hours of a night, the split second of an orgasm / what is an orgasm? (. . .)
To become whole.
Could sexuality be the means through which I could piece together the fragments, restore the oneness from head to foot? ³

Stefan is very much engaged with female autonomy. She advocates shared learning and female solidarity. Woman-centered, female sexual relationships are her focus of attention. She perceives existing language that talks about sexuality as abstract, male, and sexist. Thus, she rebels against the limitations to express authentic female sexual experience: "Language fails, as soon as I want to report new experiences...