Abstract
ABSTRACTThis article deals with the literary contributions of the overlooked writer Dolorosa (a pseudonym for Maria Eichhorn), examining her work in conjunction with the eugenic and abortion debates prevalent in early twentieth‐century Germany. I analyse two of Dolorosa's novels, Unfruchtbarkeit (1905) and Die Starken (1907), and contextualise them within a broader artistic, cultural, and scientific milieu characterised by a pervasive emphasis on Social Darwinist principles of survival struggle. I also explore how the glorification of strength and competition was gendered during this period: men were often associated with attributes of power and conflict, while women were characterised by selfless and benevolent traits due to their maternal roles. In contrast to many feminists of her time who utilised eugenic ideals of motherhood to advocate for emancipation, Dolorosa diverges from the male‐dominated narrative surrounding survival struggle. Rather than reinforcing the legitimacy of the new ethics of the ‘right of the strong’, Dolorosa's portrayal of mothers grappling for survival prompts critical questioning of these emerging ideologies.
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