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Feminist essays literary criticism
Introduction to feminist literary criticism
Feminist essays literary criticism
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A Feminist Reading of Paul's Case
At first glance, it may be considered difficult to give a feminist interpretation of "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather, because there is not much mention of women in the text. However, this fact alone gives good reason for a feminist reading of the story. The lack of the presence of females in this story supports the idea that women were not considered an important part of society during Willa Cather's lifetime.
In "Paul's Case," the story revolves around a young male. He is the main character. There are very few mentions of women, however, when they do come into the story they are only mentioned briefly, or they play minor, secondary characters. Paul's mother and sisters are spoken about once during the entire story, while there are four references to his father. The females in his family are mentioned only in passing and remain flat characters, while his father is referred to several times, each time involving an action or comment which exhibits an aspect of his father's personality which makes him a more rounded character.
Other references to women in this story involve stereotypical characterizations of them. In "Paul's Case," women are often made out to be weak, in contrast to the references to men who worked and performed physical labor. Two instances in the story effectively demonstrate this stereotypical weakness. First, one of Paul's teachers commented, "I happen to know that he was born in Colorado, only a few months before his mother died out there of a long illness." This remark makes Paul's mother fragile and sickly; since she is a weak woman, she is overtaken and killed by her illness. Another example of this stereotype is when Paul includes his sister in his lies, "hi...
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...t the Venus of Milo as he passed her on the stairway." Paul may have had probable cause to dislike his teacher, however, the statue had done nothing to provoke him aside from being female. The distasteful gesture he made towards the statue embodies his attitude towards the entire female gender.
"Paul's Case" is clearly product of the influences of a patriarchal society. Women are not allowed a prominent role in any part of the story, which is evidence of the influential patriarchal society's oppression of women. When women are actually mentioned in the story, it is in a stereotypical and/or demeaning manner. Although the gender of the narrator is not discernible, this story was written by a woman who's views were heavily effected by the opinions of the society in which she lived, which is apparent through the actions, views, and attitudes of her characters.
In conclusion, most of the female character are often isolated, victimized and ultimately killed by the male characters. Furthermore, it is rather ironic how Mary Shelly, the daughter Mary Wollestonecraft who wrote the Vindication of the Right of Women chooses to portray women. In this novel, the female characters are the exact opposite of the male characters; they are passive, weak and extremely limited. Mary Shelly repeatedly shows women in a victimized position exhibiting to the audience how things should not be. In conclusion, Mary Shelly’s novel is a reflection of how women were treated in the 1800’s.
Dyck, Reginald. "The Feminist Critique of Willa Cather's Fiction: A Review Essay." Women's Studies 22 (1993): 263-279.
Analysis of Paul's Case by Willa Cather. Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case” is a story about a young 16 year-old man, Paul, who is motherless and alienated. Paul’s lack of maternal care has led to his alienation. He searches for the aesthetics in life that he doesn’t get from his yellow wallpaper in his house and his detached, overpowering father figure in his life. Paul doesn’t have any interests in school and his only happiness is in working at Carnegie Hall and dreams of one day living the luxurious life in New York City.
The National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions. Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
Hudson, James I., McElroy, Susan L. Fluvoxamine in the Treatment of Binge-Eating Disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 1998; 155: 1756-1762.
In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray women are often portrayed as passive and weak characters. During the 19th century when these books were written, the proper domestic ideology was that women were naturally squeamish, defenseless, innocent beings, who needed protection from the male worlds of business and politics (Stepenoff). This theme is demonstrated throughout both of these novels through major and minor characters. In the case of Frankenstein, Shelley, who is a feminist herself, covers her book with submissive women who suffer calmly and eventually die. Similarly in Wilde's story, there are a few female characters that do not show much immediate importance, but they ultimately have a major impact on the story. Both authors portray their female characters as weak and passive, yet, despite their minor roles, these women strongly influence the men and greatly alter the course of events in each novel.
Shapiro, C. M. (2012). Eating disorders: Causes, diagnosis, and treatments [Ebrary version]. Retrieved from http://libproxy.utdallas.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utdallas/Doc?id=10683384&ppg=3
“Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman was analyzed by many perspective readers and writers. In my research paper I analyzed work by Ann Oakley and Karen Ford. These two authors had similar but yet different arguments. During my review process on both articles, I found that there can be many interpretations of any literary work. When you typically see topics written about women, you tend to see biased explanations. Reading these from a female standpoint you would go on to assume the writer will only defend what is morally right.
...en endured throughout the Realist literary period. This oppression has evolved into strong female business figures. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” shows the perceived inequality and inferiority of women throughout this era. This lies in contrast with strong, powerful female officials, such as Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chopin’s The Awakening illustrates a literary attempt at women’s activism. Women’s activism is still present today, and is seen in the recent happenings at the Plymouth High School baseball and softball fields. Women have evolved past their positions as domestic keepers that were subordinate to men to active, equal members of society. Feminist literature has aided this evolution over the year. Women have overcome oppression through activism and garnered more rights since the termination of the Realist literary era.
Society continually places specific and often restrictive standards on the female gender. While modern women have overcome many unfair prejudices, late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century women were forced to deal with a less than understanding culture. Different people had various ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities, including expressing themselves through literature. By writing a fictional story, authors like Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James were given the opportunity to let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic.
Another theme of the text was patriarchy. Patriarchy was key for a woman’s innocence or her demise. A woman was not deemed trustable enough to judge her own consent, and had to rely on the testimonies and judgments of a male protector to ensure that her testimony was heard, believed, and she was not morally ruined (40,123). Attackers would often seek absolution from fathers rather than the actual victim, because the woman was of little importance
Anorexia nervosa is a specific disorder defined in DSM IV. Several classifications must be met for a diagnosis of anorexia to be made. There must be a refusal by the patient to maintain a healthy body weight for their age and height. This behavior must eventually lead to a weight loss in which the body weight falls to less then 85% of the persons ideal body weight. Or the patient can refuse to gain any weight during periods of growth. In wome...
In the analysis of the issue in question, I have considered Mary Wollstonecraft’s Text, Vindication of the Rights of Woman. As an equivocal for liberties for humanity, Wollstonecraft was a feminist who championed for women rights of her time. Having witnessed devastating results or men’s improvidence, Wollstonecraft embraced an independent life, educated herself, and ultimately earned a living as a writer, teacher, and governess. In her book, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” she created a scandal perhaps to her unconventional lifestyle. The book is a manifesto of women rights arguing passionately for educating women. Sensualist and tyrants appear right in their endeavor to hold women in darkness to serve as slaves and their plaything. Anyone with a keen interest in women rights movement will surely welcome her inexpensive edition, a landmark documen...
Levine, M. & Maine, M. (2004). Some basic facts about eating disorders. Retrieved April 28, 2005 from http://www.brooklane.org/whitepgs
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the eighteenth century feminist philosopher, Mary Wollstonecraft. Specifically, it explores her vision and critique of the relationship between the genders by explaining her position and her prescription to remedy the deficiencies she identifies with regards to gender inequality. Additionally, this evaluation asserts that at present, we have partially achieved the realization of Wollstonecraft’s vision of women in society, which dates back two centuries. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of the continued of study of Wollstonecraft’s philosophical ideas in society today.