Misogyny In Stoner

From the Oxford Dictionary:

Misogyny:

'Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.'

There exist five female characters with somewhat substantial bearing on the plot of 'Stoner': Stoner's mother, Ma , Edith Bostwick (later Edith Bostwick Stoner), Mrs Bostwick, Grace Stoner and Katherine Driscoll. Each of these characters can be seen as adhering to themes of love and family, and the strife that the subject of family can imply. Shaweller's allusion to, and accusation of misogyny is based on the characterisation of Edith in particular. As Stoner's wife, Edith is represented somewhat typically from chapter five onwards. Shawaller describes her characterisation as 'shrewish', a description fittingly alluded to in the critical

One could see this scene as an example of typical female representation, focusing only on Edith's physical attributes before any other form of characterisation, arguably objectifying Edith. On the other hand, with consideration for the later stages of Edith and Stoner's marriage, Williams may be emphasizing Stoner's focus on Edith's physical grace to highlight his lack of romantic experience or life experience in general; through the lens of tragedy: this could be seen as Stoner's Hamartia/tragic flaw. If the tragic flaw is one's feeling for a female, though misguided, the flaw could be interpreted as critical of women, representing them as a means for a man's downfall, a somewhat misogynistic technique of writing. However, Edith doesn't necessarily represent an entire sex, or gender and other female characters do act as a source of enlightenment for Stoner later on.

The first negative encounter with a female character takes place in the scene in which William Stoner first meets Edith Bostwick parents. There is also potential evidence of