Illness of the Soul, Body or Culture? Postpartum Depression as a Theme in Contemporary Literature

Abstract

This article describes the characteristics of postpartum depression (PPD), its etiology and reasons for making this phenomenon a taboo in contemporary culture. The author analyses cultural representations of postpartum depression, which she sees as one of the most important factors contributing to the phenomenon of removing the masks of motherhood (S. Maushart), growing in force at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Referring to selected examples from contemporary literature, and contextually also to film (including E. Şafak, N. Fiedorczuk, M. Susdorf, D. Barker,E. Atef), the author discusses the psychological and socio-cultural determinants of PPD, emphasising not only biological, but the mainly existential dimension of this experience and its strong connection to the contemporary norms of femininity and motherhood.