Readers of the New York Times Magazine are treated today with a brief inteview with Elfriede Jelinek. I especially enjoyed reading the following exchange:
Much of your criticism has been aimed at your native Austria and its ”criminal” Nazi past.
In Austria, a rather authoritarian Catholic country, the role of the
social admonisher traditionally fell to artists because there were no
great political thinkers.Yet your novels, like ”Lust” and ”Women as Lovers,” focus on sexual politics.
I describe the relationship between man and woman as a Hegelian
relationship between master and slave. As long as men are able to
increase their sexual value through work, fame or wealth, while women
are only powerful through their body, beauty and youth, nothing will
change.How can you cling to such dated stereotypes when you yourself are acclaimed internationally for your intellect?
A woman who becomes famous through her work reduces her erotic value. A
woman is permitted to chat or babble, but speaking in public with
authority is still the greatest transgression.You’re suggesting that your achievements, like winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, detract from your overall appeal.
Certainly! A woman’s artistic output makes her monstrous to men
if she does not know to make herself small at the same time and present
herself as a commodity. At best people are afraid of her.Is there any point in life when a woman grows too old to care about attracting male attention?
Yes, of course. But the tragedy begins when a distinguished older woman becomes a slave to a younger man.
Given the current cultural climate in ‘Christian Nation’ America – which I call ‘The New Puritanism‘- Elfriede Jellnek is a welcome tonic.
