Abstract
This study scrutinizes mother-daughter relationship theory through literary analysis, focusing on the primary female characters in Ali Smith’s novel «Autumn»: the mother, Wendy, and the daughter, Elisabeth. It seeks to explore and comprehend the roles of these women as portrayed by the contemporary Scottish writer. Mothers exert significant influence on their children from birth, shaping their mental, physical, gender identification and personal identity. Moreover, the perception of the relationship between the same genders boils down to the mother’s unbiased approach to it. Consequently, the nature of maternal relationships can profoundly impact children’s societal roles and self-perceptions. The primary objective is to uncover Ali Smith’s portrayal of mother and daughter roles through language and culture, particularly her treatment of enmeshed mother-daughter relationships in contemporary English literature. The data is derived from «Autumn», using conversational analysis as the principal method to meticulously examine the mother-daughter dyads and their interactions in the novel. Keywords: mother-daughter relationship theory, Ali Smith, English fiction, contemporary novel, independence.