"The Known Footsteps of My Mother": The Power of the Abyss in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels

This article analyzes Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet in terms of maternal themes, especially those central to French feminism. Drawing on Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection and the terrifying maternal abyss, it highlights the empty dark spaces that run throughout all four novels. The article focuses especially on the maternal abyss that informs Elena's relationship with her mother, Immacolata, a character whose backgrounding allows her to play a pivotal role in Elena's success as a writer. For whereas Immacolata's backgrounding and physical impairments repulse Elena, it is precisely the unheimlich invoked by the maternal body that gives rise to her creative energies.