재닛 윈터슨의 『오렌지만이 과일은 아니다』: 모던/포스트모던 텍스트

Jeanette Winterson"s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit: The Modern/Postmodern Text

&nbsp;&nbsp;Jeanette Winterson&quot;s autobiographical, first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is one of those successful stories of which feminists and lesbians feel proud. Oranges, a mixture of sad and funny events, is the story of Jeanette, adopted by an evangelical family. Jeanette&quot;s mother&quot;s plan for Jeanette to become a missionary are thwarted when she discovers that she is having an intimate relationship with her friend. Jeanette falls in love with Melanie and this eventually leads to her leaving home, making her own way in the world. Jeanette manages to develop a positive self-image when she is surrounded by negative views of lesbianism. The novel raises the question of lesbian and gay issues, appealing for a diversity of audiences. Through the book, Winterson argues that lesbianism isn&quot;t the problem, but people&quot;s attitudes towards it can be.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;My essay seeks to examine the meaning of the ambiguous polemical status of Oranges, a text which cuts across the modern and postmodern perspective. Like many postmodernist writers, Winterson is preoccupied with parody, pastiche, and a sense of multiplicity. Winterson seems to go beyond the endless questioning and skepticism of postmodernism because she has faith that she know why God made her and what her mission in life is. In form and intent, her novels are modern parables that read like dreams, collapsing time, and traditional narratives. It is interesting to note that Winterson&quot;s relationship to postmodern is a collaborative dialogue with Modernism. The complexity of Oranges constantly invites widely varying alternative interpretations.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;It is hard to arrive at a conclusive statement about Oranges, because it belongs to the text that can transgress so many critical stances, having asserted its fluidity and complexity. Heterosexuality is the political system within which we all live. However, as title of the book, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit suggests, Winterson disagrees with the system, by crossing hetero/homo boundary and claiming insistent relativism and open attitudes toward lesbian and gay issues. She seems to be trying to integrate different modes of thinking by discussing a question about diversity and rethinking of history.