Women as Lovers - Paperback

Two Alpine factory workers who dream of finding a good man. Employing the conventions of romantic fiction, Jelinek dissects the double-standard by which women are held in their traditional place. "An unrelenting look at the bleak correspondence between marriage, capitalism and sex. Every sentence slams home a truth."--Voice Literary Supplement

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The setting is an idyllic Alpine village where a women's underwear factory nestles in the woods. Two factory workers, Brigitte and Paula, dream and talk about finding happiness, a comfortable home and a good man. They realise that their quest will be as hard as work at the factory. Brigitte subordinates her feelings and goes for Heinz, a young, plump, up-and-coming businessman. With Paula, feelings and dreams become confused. She gets pregnant by Erich, the forestry worker. He's handsome, so they marry. Brigitte gets it right. Paula gets it wrong.