ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on the sexuality of the feisty eponymous female protagonists of recent Indonesian novels: Lasmi by Nusya Kuswatin and Ayu Manda by Iwan Darmawan. Lasmi focuses on Lasmi's position as leader of a local branch of Gerwani, on her commitment to education and gender equality, on her devotion to her husband and son and on her tragic end. On another level, Lasmi's sensuous response to her husband and her dedication to her son is a challenge to the popular depiction, as discussed below, of Gerwani women as sexual deviants and man-haters. The protagonist of Ayu Manda, Gusti Ayu Mirah Mandasari is the self-centred, spoilt daughter of the nobleman Gusti Ngurah Amba, who is head of a small puri in the Balinese village of Munduk Sungkal. The story revolves around the transformation of Manda into an exceptional dancer, who is part of a dance troupe invited to tour Europe.
