POLIFONIJA UNUTARNJIH GLASOVA KAO MODEL KONSTRUKCIJE ŽENSKOG SUBJEKTA U ROMANU CRNO MLIJEKO AUTORICE ELIF ŠAFAK
THE POLYPHONY OF INNER VOICES AS A MODEL OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FEMALE SUBJECT IN THE NOVEL BLACK MILK BY THE TURKISH AUTHOR ELIF SHAFAK

Summary/Abstract: The novel Black Milk by the Turkish author Elif Shafak is an introspective study of female identity through the concept of polyphony of inner voices, with which the author combines psychological analysis, gender studies and autobiographical discourse. The central narrative of the novel is based on the personification of different aspects of the author's personality, which take on the roles of conflicting voices: rational, creative, traditional, feminist, maternal and self-destructive. This polyphony can be seen as a literary articulation of the inner dialogue inherent in cognitive psychology, but also as a critical commentary on the social constructs of femininity, motherhood and artistic vocation. The psychological dimension of the novel highlights the fragility of the postpartum identity and ambivalence towards the maternal role, with different voices symbolizing the fragmentation of the subject faced with intense emotional and hormonal changes. At the same time, the gendered aspect of polyphony points to the structural pressure of patriarchal expectations: inner voices reflect not only intrapsychic tendencies but also social norms that shape female experience. In this way, Shafak problematizes the myth of "natural" motherhood and shows creativity and the maternal role not as mutually exclusive, but as a tense but potentially harmonious field of negotiation. Combining a meta-narrative framework, a feminist perspective and psychological realism, the novel Black Milk offers a layered analysis of identity in which the polyphony of inner voices functions as a literary strategy for depicting the conflicts, vulnerabilities and transformations of the female subject. The novel thus contributes to contemporary discussions about the relationship between gender, creativity, and mental health, and opens up space for redefining women's life and literary narratives.

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