Women with a Thirst for Destruction

Jenny Kaminer is an assistant professor of Russian at the University of California, Davis.

“… why, given the reverence for motherhood, [is] the bad mother is a recurrent figure in Russian culture? What is the purpose of the bad-mother image? Does it debunk the ideal mother or reaffirm the persistence of the myth? Kaminer’s satisfying answer to this question spans three chapters, each of which focuses on a period directly following a national crisis: the emancipation of the serfs, the Russian revolution, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.” —Slavic Review|"The image of the mother is important for Russian culture, but, as Kaminer deftly demonstrates in her first monograph, its symbolism impacts not just literary studies, but also has wide-reaching resonance politically, economically, and socially. Similarly, Kaminer’s study adds a new dimension to European motherhood studies, which historically have largely focused on Western European traditions. This book will be of value to those who are interested in Russian literature, but also family studies, the role of women in society, childhood studies, or the historical transformation of cultural myths.” —Journal of Soviet & Post-Soviet Politics & Society