'The image of woman in Western literature inevitably reflects the history of her standing within this cultural context. German writers have not only contributed to the creation of this image but have also played a leading role in establishing the social, moral and aesthetic definitions of womanhood throughout the ages. As in other national literatures, the concept of woman in German literature derived its orientation from a polarity which was to prove of lasting consequence: she was either Venus or Madonna. Much effort was spent in sociocultural attempts to "neutralise" this disturbing tension, thus maintaining a patriarchal order, a hierarchy of social and moral values controlled by the man'.
Women,
Writers, Women Writers,
An Alternative History of German
Literature,
University of Queensland Inaugural Lecture,
(delivered 16
November 1983),
University of Queensland Press,
St Lucia 1984