Summary of Julie Phillips's The Baby on the Fire Escape

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The maternal subject is a figure that disrupts or interrupts our notions of subjectivity. Motherhood is an undiscovered country in the literary sense, and we must venture into it lest our experience go unrecorded.

#2 The division between mothering and creative work once seemed absolute. But in 1962, the careers of women with children were beginning to flourish. Mothers found ways to do their work, and were recognized for it.

#3 The experience of being a mother is subjective, and it is difficult to explain or understand. It is everywhere in practice, but in theory, it seems nowhere.

#4 The Freudian view of mothering is that it is the end of growth and achievement for a woman. The ideal situation is one in which the interests of mother and child are identical.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822524484

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Julie Phillips's The Baby on the Fire Escape

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The maternal subject is a figure that disrupts or interrupts our notions of subjectivity. Motherhood is an undiscovered country in the literary sense, and we must venture into it lest our experience go unrecorded.

#2

The division between mothering and creative work once seemed absolute. But in 1962, the careers of women with children were beginning to flourish. Mothers found ways to do their work, and were recognized for it.

#3

The experience of being a mother is subjective, and it is difficult to explain or understand. It is everywhere in practice, but in theory, it seems nowhere.

#4

The Freudian view of mothering is that it is the end of growth and achievement for a woman. The ideal situation is one in which the interests of mother and child are identical.

#5

The parenting of infants is too low in status for theoretical interest. However, even bodily waste has been a site of critical thought.

#6

When writers and artists describe their experience of mothering, they often use the word divided to describe their state of mind. They feel like they are being torn away from a conversation to console a crying baby, and they are split in two – they can’t call their soul their own.

#7

The author and the mother exist side by side in many stories, but it is often difficult to combine them into one cohesive narrative. Perhaps this is because the interruptions are what make mothering creative.

#8

The problem is interruption, and the solution is harmony. But as I look at mothers’ lives, I think these visions may