The Image of the Woman in the Works of Ingeborg Bachmann

In this study an analysis of the women characters, who play a dominant part in Bachmann's prose writings, was presented. The results suggested a complex but coherent image. It was found that although the characteristics of this image deserved the appellation -sex-specific- and -traditional- they were infused with new values: the values of individualism, of a specifically female identity and of particular intense personal freedom. It was also found that the theme of personal freedom underlies all motivations, conflicts and situations of tragedy of Bachmann's heroines. Finally, it was found that the image of the woman is not only part of a distinct female-male antithesis, which often assumes violent dimensions, but has a redeeming function for a de-humanized world."