Reconstructing Female Subjectivity in Michele Roberts' Novel In the Red Kitchen

This article examines Michèle Roberts' novel In the Red Kitchen within the framework of second-wave feminism, revealing how the novel utilizes feminist writing as a counter-narrative against patriarchal discourse. The study aims to demonstrate how Roberts restructures writing, moving away from male-centered and authoritarian discourse towards fragmented, collective, and spiritually mediated forms of female expressions. At the heart of this process is the Ouija board, functioning as an alternative epistemological tool that enables the re-emergence of silenced women's histories and challenges the dominant, linear historiography. Within this framework, this study aims to analyze In the Red Kitchen in relation to radical feminist critiques of patriarchy, particularly the authority structures that regulates knowledge, language, and female subjectivity. Roberts' narrative reveals how women's voices have historically been silenced and restricted within patriarchal systems of meaning-making, reflecting the dismantling of this patriarchal symbolic order. In this context, the novel is examined within the framework of radical feminism, aiming to demonstrate how women can break free from the oppression of male authority figures through their spirituality. Furthermore, drawing upon Michel Foucault’s analysis of pater familias, this article aims to explore the relationship between female experience and women’s writing. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate the rediscovery of silenced women's experiences, demonstrating how women connect beyond ontological and temporal boundaries to gain a broader feminist voice and visibility. Keywords: radical feminism, writing, Ouija board, patriarchy, female subjectivity