Nice Work And Feminism In Nice Work, By Robyn Penrose

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Nice Work and the Feminism

David Lodge is one of the representative writers of the postmodernism period. Apart from the theme of the meaning of work, both from the industrial and academic point of view, the “Nice Work” novel also develops the idea of feminism. The earnest feminist in the novel is Robyn Penrose, the main character of the novel, who works as university teacher. Throughout the novel, she reveals her feminist beliefs from the manner in which she behaves and talks. The writer describes Robyn in opposition to her lover, Charles. He stays at home while she is out with her work. There is a discrepancy between the Victorian and Modernist doctrines, in the latter it seems that the roles of the woman and male are reversed. “Charles led a more subdued and private life. He kept the flat tidy while Robyn was out doing …show more content…

He did not consider studying and readins as being “work”. He states: “Men like to work`.” (Lodge 126) Robyn seemed to be a little mad by the thing that the waiter in the restaurant thought that she was an ordinary secretary who went out to have dinner with her boss. Even if there was not that situation, she was put in the same category of women. “She was less amused by their waiter 's evident assumption that she herself was Wilcox 's secretary, being set up for seduction.” (Lodge 201) 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

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