"Journal of Baltic Studies" published a study on Ivande Kaija’s novel
An article by Zita Kārkla and Eva Eglāja-Kristone, leading researchers at the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, has been published in the "Journal of Baltic Studies". The article is entitled “Between Meadows and Metropolis: Emotional Geographies and Feminist Landscapes in Ivande Kaija’s Novel Iedzimtais grēks (1913)”.
Article draws on feminist geography, emotional geographies, and close reading to examine the feminist and spatial dimensions of Ivande Kaija’s Iedzimtais grēks;(Original Sin, 1913), a landmark yet understudied novel in early twentieth-century Latvian literature. It explores how the novel critiques gender inequality and societal double standards through the experiences of its protagonist, Gaida, as she navigates emotional and social constraints in both rural and urban settings. By foregrounding Kaija’s engagement with feminist concerns, the article situates her work within broader feminist literary movements and transnational dialogs on women’s narratives and the negotiation of societal expectations.
The research was supported by the project “Narrative, Form, and Voice: The Embeddedness of Literature in Culture and Society” (No. VPP-LETONIKA-2022/3-0003), implemented within the framework of the National Research Programme “Letonika for the Development of a Latvian and European Society.”