Woman at Point Zero and Uncle Vampire: A cross-cultural investigation of father-daughter incest in the light of feminist psychoanalysis

Abstract

This article aims at presenting a cross-cultural examination of uncle-niece incest through the theoretical scope of feminist psychoanalysis in literary studies. The paper is thus centered on two novels: Woman at Point Zero (1975) by Nawal El Saadawi and Uncle Vampire (1993) by Cynthia Grant. The main contribution in this article is to highlight the cultural differences found in eastern and western literary studies in relation to escaping or ending incest. The cultural differences are addressed in relation to parental assistance and institutional assistance. The article is thus structured around the exploration of two main research questions: ‘What is the role of parents in helping a victim of uncle-niece incest to end her abusive experience?’ and ‘what is the role of official institutions in assisting a victim of uncle-niece incest to terminate her abusive experience?’. A central concern to the researcher in this article is to voice the victims’ ‘particular’ struggle and efforts to escape the incestuous relationship in which she is trapped.