THE FRAGMENTED FEMALE SELF IN MODERNIST LITERATURE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF VIRGINIA WOOLF AND SYLVIA PLATH

Abstract

This article examines the representation of the fragmented female self in selected works by Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath. The study aims to identify how both writers connect female psychological division with patriarchal social structures, gendered expectations, and the struggle for autonomy. The research applies qualitative literary analysis, feminist literary criticism, close reading, and comparative analysis to Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and A Room of One’s Own, as well as Plath’s The Bell Jar and Ariel. The findings show that Woolf represents fragmentation through fluid consciousness, shifting perspectives, memory, silence, and subtle emotional isolation, whereas Plath presents fragmentation through confessional intensity, symbolic imagery, bodily anxiety, and psychological crisis. Although the two writers differ in style and historical context, both portray fragmented female identity as a consequence of patriarchal pressure and as a form of resistance to socially imposed femininity. The article concludes that fragmentation in their works is not only a sign of suffering, but also a critical literary strategy that exposes the contradictions of gendered power.