THE THEME OF MOTHERHOOD IN THE POETRY BY ANNE SEXTON, SYLVIA PLATH AND ADRIENNE RICH

Abstract

The article deals with the theme of motherhood in the poetry of the twentieth-century American writers Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and Adrienne Rich. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of images that reveal various aspects of motherhood: a pregnant woman, an infertile woman, a mother and her child, a woman after a miscarriage or abortion, a creative woman, a woman poet, etc. The theme of motherhood in the poetry of A. Sexton, S. Plath, A. Rich is considered in close connection with the theme of creativity and marriage.The theoretical basis of the study is the works of Y. Kristeva, Diane Wood Middlebrook, Marilyn Yalom, Wendy Martin, Sandra M. Gilbert, Susan Gubar, which made it possible to define the concepts of women's writing and text, female subject, and female creativity. The analysis focuses on the reflection of the theme of motherhood by a creative personality, as well as on the unveiling of some gender stereotypes regarding the motif of maternal love, a happy family and marriage. The paper considers contemporary works of feminist studies and developments in the field of gender studies.