Women as lovers

Parodying the genre of the romance novel, Jelinek, in "Women as lovers", deals with the position of women in a patriarchal society, their relationship to their own bodies and sexuality, and the class relations that prevent them from realizing themselves in any way other than as cheap and expendable labor.

However, it would be wrong to say that patriarchy affects only women. It equally destroys men, as the main pillars on which it rests.

Jelinek characters are complex, cruel, and passionate on their path to self-destruction, yet as such, still relatable and capable of evoking empathy.

In the world of two anti-heroines, Paula and Brigitte, everything is labor. The sole purpose of work is to save us from ruin, and if possible, lift us out of our class. But where is love in such a world? Does it even exist, or is it just another form of hard labor?

What about the suffering body?

The only possible potential for change and the discovery of individual freedom for our heroines means betraying their own and others’ expectations—and losing everything. Only through that act does a new perspective emerge.