Femininity in the Loop: Repetitive Music, Postdramatic Theatre, and the Construction of Meaning in Two Operas by Serbian Women Composers

Reviewed by: In Quest of the Self (Masquerade and Travel in the Eighteenth-Century Novel: Fielding, Smollett, Sterne) by Jacob Lipski Melanie Holm Jacob Lipski. In Quest of the Self (Masquerade and Travel in the Eighteenth-Century Novel: Fielding, Smollett, Sterne). Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2014. Pp. 223. € 48; $67. For Heraclitus, it was "not possible to step twice into the same river . . . or to come into contact twice with a mortal being in the same state." Such considerations of the individual as a being always in flux reemerge in the eighteenth century as one of many strategies for articulating new concerns about the nature of the self and individual identity. Hume, for instance, reprises the fluvial metaphor to argue that personal identity is a fiction that we impose on our ever-flowing impressions: much as "a river consists in the motion and change of parts," though shifting content "hinders not the river from continuing the same during several ages," neither is our belief that it is the selfsame river hindered nor that we are consistent selves capable of such persisting beliefs. The "masquerade" also arises as a complementary metaphor within our period, as writers like Terry Castle have shown, adding complexity to questions of fiction and the self by focusing less on internal fluidity than on external mutability. With differing emphases on the external and internal, a number of recent scholars have offered models that inquire into the relationship between the eighteenth-century self and its fictions, among whom Michael McKeon, Deidre Lynch, Charles Taylor, Dror Wahrman, and Nancy Armstrong are the most often invoked. But models, however robust, are not necessarily truths, particular or universal, and especially not when it comes to the delicate matter of how persons identify and define their "selves." It is in this slippage between the metaphoric modeling and the materials they claim to represent that my reservations about Mr. Lipski's work begin to emerge. He discusses eighteenth-century selves and fiction by placing complete trust in Wahrman's historical model of the masquerade in his formulation of the ancien régime of identity, and then applying this metaphor alongside yet another metaphor of self-discovery, the "journey," to literary characters. For Wahrman, we recall, the eighteenth-century English experienced a shift in how they linked self and identity: around 1780, a "new" modern regime conceived of identity as personal, interiorized, and linked with an authentic self, while the previous ancien régime regarded identity as entirely mutable, external, and dispensable. Mr. Lipski positions Fielding and Sterne as bookends of this ancien régime as he develops a historical depiction of the quest for the self in novels: Fielding plays the part of reactionary or precursor to the regime; Smollett is its picaresque representative; and Sterne dramatizes the unraveling of the ancien régime as it gives way to the modern. As this list of authors suggests, the selves that Mr. Lipski regards are decidedly male, with female authors pushed to the margins and female characters entering into his discussion as tools for articulating the development of the male [End Page 69] protagonist. This is in part the result of the authors he chooses, but also of his choice to focus on Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones, for example, but not Amelia, as well as the literary criteria for the "quest of the self" he lays out early in his argument. Mr. Lipski focuses on the tension between a character's participation in "the masquerade of the world" and a "struggle to determine who they really are." While this may sound like a broad outline of any number of works by women novelists in the century (Burney's Evelina particularly comes to mind), Mr. Lipski argues that the "quest for identity, inherent in the masquerade metaphor, finds its most accurate realization, as it always has, in the narrative of the road. Hence the journey, understood literally and metaphorically, does not serve as an arbitrary category narrowing the scope of the book but principally as a paradigm akin to the masquerade in its concern with identity." His approach to studying identity in novels, therefore, "is based on the conviction that both of these two...

Three Serbian Ballads from the Collection of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić Željka Cvjetan Gortinski* In the 19th century, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (1787–1864), a Serbian linguist, dedicated 30 years of his life to collecting and publishing Serbian oral ballads and other folk literature. European intellectuals of the time recognized the unique artistic, educational, and moral value of this poetry and translated it into various languages, including English. As a result, the three ballads presented here are not unknown but are usually presented in larger collections or anthologies. These three ballads, while focused on specific events or individuals, also shed light on the social conditions affecting Serbian women during the Middle Ages and throughout the 19th century. It is noteworthy, for instance, that none of the female characters in these poems has a name or personal identity. They carry their husbands’ names or are simply sung merely as mothers. I wanted listeners to hear only these three poems together because the majority of traditional Serbian oral ballads do not describe women and their experiences. In fact, women are inconspicuous supporting characters in a vast number of traditional ballads that have passed from generation to generation with no substantive changes for hundreds of years. Female characters, when they appear, are mostly observers. They usually have no assigned roles that propel the dynamics of the events. They listen to their husbands or sons; they wait for them to return from their various duties of war; they prepare meals; they serve the food and drinks; they care for those wounded in battle; they bear, raise, and advise their children; but their distinguished personal identities are hidden and could only be reconstructed based on the considerable historical knowledge that we have today. Presenting these [End Page 189] poems together allows us to perceive and understand the magnitude of pain and hardship that Serbian women have experienced. Even though they originated at different times and describe different historical and legendary characters and events, each poem contains powerful images of motherly love, loss, and inexpressible grief. And while each is memorable on its own, I hope that, taken together, they will stand as a fitting tribute to motherhood. As ancient as these stories are, they are also timeless. I am sure the listener will discover contemporary relevance and recognize how profoundly the plight of these mothers reaches beyond specific time and place and evokes images of marriage and motherhood that will resonate with women today, regardless of their race, religion, national identity, or social position. These poems were handed down by word of mouth from one generation to another for centuries. Because of both their cultural significance and artistic merit, they have survived the test of time. It is my personal pleasure and privilege to pass them forward in the CD recording that accompanies this issue of Serbian Studies.1 zeljkacg@hotmail.com A Note from Roderick Menzies, Voice Recording Producer: While helping to bring “The Pearl Drops” (Biserne suze) to fruition, I developed a profound sense of appreciation for these beautiful examples of oral epic poetry. These recordings are unique and extraordinary, partly due to Željka’s talent and skill as an oral interpreter and partly because of her strong personal connection to the material. Before I agreed to participate in this project, I had already directed Željka as an actor and knew of her talent and her artistic standards. However, while working with her on these wonderful pieces, I became aware of her Serbian cultural heritage and developed a heartfelt connection to the plight of women everywhere who are subject to unjust suffering. As I guided Željka to create effective oral interpretations of these lyrical ballads, in both Serbian and English, I was drawn into the rich tradition of maternal wisdom that pervades these historic narratives, and I became deeply moved by their timeless universality. I sincerely hope these remarkable recordings [End Page 190] will touch you as much as they have touched me and that you will share your appreciation of them. By introducing others to their exceptional beauty and wisdom, we can help ensure that they will never fade into obscurity. [End Page 191] Footnotes * The editors are honored and most grateful...

Chinese national opera has a history of more than 100 years. From "Sparrow and Children" created by Li Jinhui in the 1920s, it is known as the embryonic form of Chinese national opera. Then Chinese opera has experienced five periods of development. This paper will sort out the development of Chinese national opera, focus on the female characters described in opera according to the historical period of combing, division, and select the most representative of the four opera heroine Xi er, celery, Jiang Jie, Aiguri, to analyze its musical image. The conclusion of this research is of practical significance to promote the und