Mothers and monsters: images of violence and death as expressions of reproductive work in nursery rhymes

Abstract

This article is part of a research project which examines the ambivalence between the vital and the lethal inherent to nursery rhymes and the maternal experience, focusing on the threatening and violent symbols of these melodies. Through the sociological analysis of discourse systems, which includes content analysis and critical discourse analysis (CDA), we explore threatening lullabies and violent images to investigate how these elements reflect the negative feelings of mothers and caretakers, transforming nursery rhymes in an historical, museological and literary work aroundreproductive work and the emotional ambivalence of maternal emotions. Four key dimensions are investigated: the threatening symbolism through monsters and animals, the explicit violence in the lyrics of the lullabies, the lethal in the vital beyond the ritual of protection and the nursery rhyme as a lament of reproductive work. This article offers a new perspective about popular lullaby literature and the meaning of its symbols, highlighting the relevance of nursery rhymes as a testimony of the historical artistic expression of women’s reproductive work and their emotional ambivalence in motherhood.