Spatial Transgression in Laura Hird's Born Free.

Abstract

Drawing from space theory and gender perspective, this article focuses on spatial transgression in Laura Hird’s novel Born Free. It revises Hird’s presentation of the private and the public spaces and the disruption that takes place between the two. The acknowledgement of the necessary relationship between space and gender is key for the successful development of the points made in this study. Firstly, the private arena of the home and the established notions of motherhood are the focus for the analysis of the transgressions that occur in the domestic place through the application of activities that are associated with the public space. Secondly, another spatial disruption takes place in the streets through the engagement in activities associated with domestic areas. This article concludes that Hird’s work must be seen as an urban study that focuses on elements such as the city dweller or the flâneuse.