Subverting patriarchy

One of the most innovative examples of the use of fantastic forms in recent feminist fiction is the work of East German author Irmtraud Morgner. Little known outside German-speaking countries, her unique blend of fantastic realism testifies both to the subversive nature of a literature of fantasy and the transgressive power of a feminist writing practise. This book looks at the way Morgner uses fantasy both as a form of feminist critique of the history of patriarchy and as an anticipatory device to test the viability of feminist alternatives. Compensatory rather then escapist, in Morgner's…