On the Divine Feminine: Reading Fay Weldon’xxs Puffball through Thunder, Perfect Mind
Articles > Article · 2020
Authors: Züleyha ÇETİNER ÖKTEM
Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, National Refreed University Journal, National, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), 2020, vol 44, pp 69-82
Summary
<p>Focusing on gynocentric issues, Fay Weldon’s Puffball is a text open to many types of feminist readings but one that has yet to be explored is a metaphysical reading of the novel focussing on the divine feminine. Although the novel seems to portray everyday characters, the allusions to biblical, mythical, and mystical elements allow for this type of an analysis. The ebb and flow between the protagonist Liffey and antagonist Mabs, who are experiencing various stages of womanhood, portray two very different types of mothers. Yet, in tune with Neumann’s Great Mother archetype, both women ironically complement each other through these contradictions. The transformations Liffey and Mabs undergo inherently balances the text offering a dualistic yet unified approach. This unification through contradictions is most illustrative in the ancient gnostic text dubbed Thunder: Perfect Mind, where a divine feminine voice describes herself through clashing images. By reading Puffball through the lens of Thunder, it becomes possible to see how opposing forces may be considered as aspects of a whole. In this vein, this paper suggests that Weldon’s Puffball resonates with ancient gnostic discourses specifically with the Thunder text where otherwise discordant aspects are fused in the image of the divine feminine. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Fay Weldon, Puffball, Gnosticism, Thunder: Perfect Mind, Great Mother </p>