Citation

Linklater B. Ger. Life Lett. 2001; 54(3): 253-271.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1468-0483.00203

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article uses Ovid's Philomela myth to trace ideas of resistance to rape within six recent German texts; Libuše Moníková's Eine Schädigung, Christoph Hein's Der fremde Freund, Annett Gröschner's Maria im Schnee, Stefan Schütz's Schnitters Mall, Regine Nössler's Strafe Muss Sein and Karen Duve's Regenroman. The myth offers three forms of resistance. Firstly, Philomela weaves a garment for her sister recounting the story of her violation. This act raises the notion of storytelling as a form of challenge in itself. If the weaving is seen as female art it also questions what role art can play in opposing violence. Secondly, Philomela and Procne serve the rapist his own son for dinner. Here the women adopt the traditionally masculine form of violent resistance, subverting the simplistic dichotomy of powerful man/powerless woman characteristic of patriarchal societies. Thirdly, all three characters are changed into birds. Philomela, tongueless, becomes a nightingale, an ironic metamorphosis which again suggests the importance of music and art in retelling rape stories, but also goes further, offering the possibility of changing oneself, the adoption of a different and fictional persona in order to cope with the violence perpetrated upon the real body. Within this framework, the article seeks to analyse the differing and fascinating ways in which all six modern texts develop the subversive potential inherent in the classical myth.