Marie Pujmanovás Novelle <i>Die Patientin von Doktor Hegel</i> (1931) als Beitrag zur Geschlechterdebatte der Zwischenkriegszeit

Summary In the democratic society of interwar Czechoslovakia, there was a lively discussion about women’s emancipation and the accompanying changes in the gender order. The modernist romance Pacientka dra Hegla [Doctor Hegel’s patient] (1931) by the Czech journalist and writer Marie Pujmanová (1893‒1958) occupies a liberal position in the debate. In the story of a young woman who gives up her plans to marry in favour of a relationship outside wedlock, issues such as female sexual liberation, abortion and free motherhood are topicalised. The article highlights the connections between the romance and gender discourses of the time and examines the ideological stance of the text. Special attention is paid to the stereotyping of the four main characters, who all represent certain concepts of personal identity that were very popular in the 1920 s.