Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. [Vol. 5.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 25)

Studies - András Tarnóc: Voices From the Wild Zone: Three Versions of the Feminist Aesthetic in American Culture

and Chicana feminist thought, compelled to negotiate between mainstream America and a "domestic culture," are caught between two discourses. Summary According to Mukarovksy the function of aesthetics is threefold as it isolates the object, turns it into a self-referential sign, and forces the reader to utilize the totality of his or her experience in order to "contemplate the specific manner of the work's organization" (Ickstadt 31). In the case of the female aesthetics, in addition to the aesthetic role, pragmatic functions can be discerned. Showalter's gynocriticism separates female writers' works from the rest of literature, views gynotexts as the autonomous texts of female experience, and through the establishment of new paradigms it relies on the readers' experience. Lillian Robinson in her subscription to the female aesthetic also emphasizes the dominance of the aesthetic side as alternative feminist readings and efforts widen the range of the canon reinforcing the self-referentiality of female literature. The black female aesthetic views literary production as one of the signs of black women's independence and at the same time reinforces the self-referentiality of the "mule" as the signifier of the black female experience. In the case of Chicana literature Malinche acts as a signifier of the Mexican-American experience, and an attempt at cultural independence, demonstrated by Vigil, is also present. These two aesthetics emphasize the pragmatic aspects of the text and of the author, including didactic, communicative, religious, and political functions. The black and Chicano aesthetics' struggle against the multiplicity of oppressions place both on a political level. The black female aesthetic with its effort to coopt black males into its struggle against racial injustice appears to satisfy the requirements for a communicative function. Sandra Cisneros' view of the Chicana author as a teacher and a promoter of Chicano consciousness shows a didactic side. Angela Hoyos' concept of writing as creating order from chaos, or "playing god." and the movement's emphasis on spiritual values manifested by the notion of Chicanismo elevates the Chicana aesthetic to the level of religious mysticism. The domination of essentialism in the white female aesthetic deserves a further look. Unlike its racially or ethnically tinged 1 15