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Women's role in american literature
Representation of women in 1920s american literature
Women's role in american literature
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When reading The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster a reader might wonder is this novel proto-feminist? Is Foster condemning the patriarchal society that she is living in? Or is she writing this novel as a cautionary tale as to what women should not do for them to not end up like the main character Eliza Wharton? The answer to the question as to whether this novel is proto feminist, is not a simple yes or no. This essay will examine that The Coquette is both a proto-feminist novel and a cautionary t
The title character of Catharine Maria Sedgewick’s novel, Hope Leslie, defies the standards to which women of the era were to adhere. Sedgewick’s novel is set in New England during the 17th century after the Puritans had broken away from the Church of England. Hope Leslie lives in a repressive Puritan society in which women behave passively, submit to the males around them, and live by the Bible. They allow the men of their family to make decisions for them and rarely, if ever, convey an opinion that differs from the status quo. However, Hope Leslie does not conform to the expected behavior of women during that time, behavior that only further expressed the supposed superiority of males. Hope portrays behaviors and attitudes common in a woman today. Hope is capable of thinking for herself, is courageous, independent, and aggressive. Sir Philip Gardner describes Hope as having “a generous rashness, a thoughtless impetuosity, a fearlessness of the… dictators that surround her, and a noble contempt of fear” (211). In comparison to Esther Downing, Hope is the antithesis of what a young Puritan woman should be, and in turn, Hope gains a great deal of respect from the readers of the novel through her “unacceptable” behavior.
A coquette is a woman who flirts without a sincere affection to gain the attention of the man. Eliza Wharton does her fair share of flirting in Hannah Webster Foster’s novel. She is stubborn and refuses all the advice she is offered. Eliza misses things right in front of her and doesn’t realize her mistakes until it is too late. Eliza Wharton was responsible for her own downfall.
Society continually places restrictive standards on the female gender not only fifty years ago, but in today’s society as well. While many women have overcome many unfair prejudices and oppressions in the last fifty or so years, late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were forced to deal with a less understanding culture. In its various formulations, patriarchy posits men's traits and/or intentions as the cause of women's oppression. This way of thinking diverts attention from theorizing the social relations that place women in a disadvantageous position in every sphere of life and channels it towards men as the cause of women's oppression (Gimenez). Different people had many ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities amound women, including expressing their voices and opinions through their literature. By writing stories such as Daisy Miller and The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic that took a major toll in American History. In this essay, I am going to compare Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” to James’ “Daisy Miller” as portraits of American women in peril and also the men that had a great influence.
The feminist element is an overarching theme in all of Flannery O’Connor’s works; it is imperative to note however that O’Connor did not want to be easily identified as a feminist, she wanted her characters not to deny their femininity but to “exploit it” sometimes to the point of a parody (Smith 35); she wanted her readers to “give credit” to her characters for “employing a clever strategy in attempting to survive in a man’s world” (Smith 35). With this, O’Connor provokes her readers to not only have compassion for ...
To understand feminism in the novel, one must first understand the feminist lens itself. OWL Purdue describes the lens as “the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women” (Purdue). Feminism acts as both a commitment and a political movement that wants to end sexism in all forms. Most feminists generally disagree on many topics of the subject, however all have one common goal. These aspects affect The Things They Carry in a plethora of ways, mostly due to the fact that gender roles is a main theme. There are negative and positive aspects of the feminist lens. Positive contains the empowering of women and equality, whereas negative pertains to oppression and unequal rights. Both are covered in The Things They Carried from sex symbols to battle tor...
Feminism has long been a highly intensive subject debated for many generations by both men and women. From the early writings of female authors during the Age of Enlightenment to the heated marches on Washington D.C. for women’s suffrage, feminism has not only strengthened throughout the centuries, but also has gained wide acceptance. At the start of Susan Faludi’s The Naked Citadel, immediately the idea of feminism is introduced with the first female admission to an all-male military school, the Citadel. However, moving deeper into Faludi’s story, it is quickly realized that the plot actually does not focus on the theme of feminism. On the contrary, the hated towards the woman is created through an interesting alignment or alliance of the
What is Feminism? How does feminism affect the world we live in today? Was feminism always present in history, and if so why was it such a struggle for women to gain the respect they rightly deserve? Many authors are able to express their feelings and passions about this subject within their writing. When reading literary works, one can sense the different feminist stages depending on the timeframe that the writing takes place. Two such works are ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by, Charlotte Gilman and ‘Everyday Use’ by, Alice Walker; the feminist views within each story are very apparent by the era each author lives in. It is evident that a matter of fifty years can change the stance of an author’s writing; in one story the main character is a confident and strong willed young woman looking to voice her feminist views on the world, while the other story’s main character is a woman trying to hold on to her voice in a man’s world which is driving her insane.
Even if they disagree about other issues, all feminists believe patriarchal ideology works to keep men and women confined to traditional gender roles so male dominance may be maintained. Utilizing the precepts of Feminist criticism, it could be argued “The Great Gatsby” promotes a thinly veiled patriarchal agenda. Through Fitzgerald’s treatment of the three women in “Gatsby”, as well as masking the possible homosexuality of a central character, the novel seems to promote only the traditional gender roles, swaying uncomfortably from any possible variance.
Canadian feminist author, Margaret Atwood, has written many novels, short stories, and poems reflecting the difficulties women have faced throughout the late 1900s. By creating characters that portray the new woman, Atwood’s relatable yet surprising plots demonstrate the struggles women have gone through to earn their standings in society. Now, in the twenty-first century, women have earned a nearly equal status to men in many important areas. Some of these areas include occupation, education, and intelligence. As women become more successful, the importance of certain female traits become emphasized. Atwood creates female characters that embody the image of the ideal new woman. In addition to her female characters, Atwood develops characters that pose as representations of the past. The characters that are the most relatable to readers are the ones who tackle the difficult roles of being a wife, a mother, and a woman in a predominantly male-run civilization. In Margret Atwood’s The Edible Woman, The Handmaid’s Tail, and Surfacing, female characters confront the challenges of developing their role in a marriage, escaping oppression from society, and accepting the value of fertility.
Feminist Theory is an aspect of considering feminism as having been based on socio-phenomenon issues rather than biological or scientific. It appreciates gender inequality, analyzes the societal roles played by feminists in a bid to promote the interests, issues and rights of women in the society. It is also based on the assumption that women play subsidiary roles in the society. The whole idea of feminism has however experienced hurdles in the form of stereotyping by the wider society. This paper tries to examine some of the effects of stereotypes that feminism goes through, what other philosophers say and the way forward towards ending stereotyping.
Katherine Mansfield, a writer known for challenging her readers’ notion of femininity, manages in “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” to further challenge the perception of women in twentieth century society. Mansfield outlines a relationship between two sisters, Josephine and Constantia; as well, Mansfield frames each woman’s struggle in coping with the loss of her father, Colonel Pinner. Each sister is dependent on the late Colonel and without him this dependence becomes over exaggerated and mindless. In part XII, the women seem to achieve a moment of enlightenment but by the end, each woman’s sense of clarity is gone. Mansfield explores each sister’s own female individuality despite a lack of maternal guidance. Even though both have an intrinsic sense of independence embedded deep within their feminine selves, Mansfield reveals to her readers that each sister has become dependent on a male-dominated society; thus, neither can fully grasp insight into her existence as a woman.
Abrams 1604 - 1606. Peterson, Linda H. "What Is Feminist Criticism?" Wuthering Heights. Ed. Linda H. Peterson, Ph.D. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992.
Katherine Mansfield belongs to a group of female authors that have used their financial resources and social standing to critique the patriarchal status quo. Like Virginia Woolf, Mansfield was socioeconomically privileged enough to write influential texts that have been deemed as ‘proto-feminist’ before the initial feminist movements. The progressive era in which Mansfield writes proves to be especially problematic because, “[w]hile the Modernist tradition typically undermined middle-class values, women … did not have the recognized rights necessary to fully embrace the liberation from the[se] values” (Martin 69). Her short stories emphasized particular facets of female oppression, ranging from gendered social inequality to economic classism, and it is apparent that “[p]oor or rich, single or married, Mansfield’s women characters are all victims of their society” (Aihong 101). Mansfield’s short stories, “The Garden Party” and “Miss Brill”, represent the feminist struggle to identify traditional patriarchy as an inherent caste system in modernity. This notion is exemplified through the social bonds women create, the naïve innocence associated with the upper classes, and the purposeful dehumanization of women through oppressive patriarchal methods. By examining the female characters in “The Garden Party” and “Miss Brill”, it is evident that their relationships with other characters and themselves notify the reader of their encultured classist preconceptions, which is beneficial to analyze before discussing the sources of oppression.
In conclusion, David Lodge managed to embody the concrete term of feminism. Through the character of Robyn Penrose, he creates the breakup of the traditional Victorian image of woman.“ `There are lots of things I wouldn 't do. I wouldn 't work in a factory. I wouldn 't work in a bank. I wouldn 't be a housewife. When I think of most people 's lives, especially women 's lives, I don 't know how they bear it. ' `Someone has to do those jobs, ' said Vic. `That 's what 's so depressing. ' ”(Lodge
"If I hadn't been a feminist I quite probably wouldn't have become a writer"5 says Garner, indicating the importance of feminism in her own quest for self identity and freedom. Her definition of feminism is "a simple matter of being intelligently for women and women's freedom to develop as decent human beings"6. And although she considers marriage "an institution that is not set up with the welfare of women in mind"7, she also recognises a "powerful urge in people ... to marry"8. It stands to reason then, that in her fiction she would explore the possibilities of the tradition of marriage with the view of finding ways it will allow women to develop into "decent human beings".