Representing Woman as Nation in Two Novels by Sydney Owenson

Authors:

Pages: 451-462
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/ODLM3297

Abstract:

This paper discusses the woman-as-nation motif in two novels by Sydney Owenson, The Wild Irish Girl (1806) and Woman, or Ida of Athens (1809), and aims to provide insights that may further the analysis of how modern Irish and Greek identities are shaped through gender representations. Attention focuses on the literary strategy of improvisation and its use in the portrayal of the novels’ central female characters. It is contended that the novels’ idealized feminized representations of Greekness and Irishness seek to highlight the disparity between the ancient splendour and the contemporary decline of the Greeks and the Irish, along with their cultures, while also addressing biased Western European views and promoting the emancipation of these nations.

Keywords:

Sydney Owenson, Ireland, Greece, national identity, woman-as-nation, feminism, orality, improvisation

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