Subaltern Bodies in Fluid Space of a Female Body: A Feminist Existential Study of Adrienne Rich’s Poems ‘Diving in the Wreck’& ‘Planetarium’

Abstract

This research explores the subaltern bodies occupying a fluid space in a female body in Adrian Rich’s poems ‘Diving in the Wreck’ and ‘Planetarium’. Rich opines that the space of ‘female’ body is a natural home to both ‘she’ and ‘he’ simultaneously and is capable to excel in all walks of life, without being dependent on men for recognition. A search for relocation of female space in the patriarchal myth and the affirmation of the presence of both male and female sex within a single female body, as a source of power and strength is sought after in this study. The objective is to debunk the role of patriarchal myth in the construction and commodification of ‘female’ body. Moreover, our impetus for writing this research paper is to address the gap in the present scholarship regarding the recognition of the contribution made by people with diverse tendencies either homosexual, LGBTQ community and by ‘lesbian continuum’ in the postmodern era. Recognizing their talents and achievements can win them over to an equal status of efficient and responsible citizens of society. The study will incorporate the theoretical framework of Simon de Beauvoir’s feminist existentialism. It will facilitate future researchers in excavating the potentials and abilities of women, who have been downsized by hierarchal order of society.