In Search of Self: The Dysfunctional Feminism of Charlotte Roche's Wetlands

Abstract

This article examines the dysfunctional feminism that is articulated by Charlotte Roche's 2008 novel Wetlands. Mirrored by the protagonist Helen Memel's search for independence in a contemporary society dominated by patriarchal ideals, the author traces the novel's feminist potential as similarly fraught with uncertainty and contradiction. Roche's emphasis on the hypersexualized and repulsive female body alludes to corporeality as the familiar battleground for the feminist project, and can be argued to constitute a transgressive force against patriarchal discourse. However, Helen is implicated in several complex social and political networks, and this illustrates the impossibility of eluding the powerful reach of these forces; in particular, her susceptibility to shame, as a direct influence of her mother's controlling habits of hygiene, and her subscription to modern practices of femininity trouble a more straightforward feminist reading of the novel. Moreover, Helen's wilful actions have been emphasized in their radically individualistic nature. This resonates with some of the anxieties of the contemporary post-feminist landscape, which compounds its already indeterminate sentiment. In spite of this inherent ambivalence, the profound tension that the novel sustains between feminist and anti-feminist readings forms a rich source for unpacking various important concerns that continue to engage the feminist consciousness.

Keywords:

• abjection
• ambivalence
• Charlotte Roche
• embodiment
• femininity
• independence
• post-feminism
• shame
• Wetlands

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.