Which heroine do you prefer and how do events throughout the books
affect your opinion of them - Bridget Jones and Emma.
Which heroine do you prefer and how do events throughout the books
affect your opinion of them.
The two heroines, Bridget Jones and Emma are obviously quite different
in their attitudes to love and society as a whole. However, I think
that in ways they are both likeable characters. The events that occur
through the novels have an effect on the reader's opinions of the
heroines and can weaken or strengthen these opinions. Austen and
Fielding both use humour in the books well which is probably why the
heroines are both seen as being comical at times or as is the case in
'Bridget Jones' Diary', more often than not.
In Jane Austen's novel 'Emma', the heroine Emma is introduced to the
reader at the very beginning of chapter 1. We instantly form an
opinion of Emma as she is described as,
"handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy
disposition and had lived nearly twenty-one years with very little to
distress or vex her."
The reader forms an opinion that Emma has a pampered lifestyle. We
also learn she is a keen matchmaker and brought together her governess
Miss Taylor with Mr Weston. I think the reader would perceive Emma to
be very interested in her friend's lives and perhaps even a little
meddling in them. The reader is also informed of 'the real evils of
Emma' being "the power of having rather too much her own way, and a
disposition too think a little too well of herself". I think that the
reader would not particularly like Emma because she seems to be too
self-assured and interested in other people's business at this stage.
However, the reader is often told of Emma as being a compassionate
character by the way she talks about Mr Weston, but this could also be
viewed as quite patronising as well,
"Mr Weston is such a good-humoured, pleasant, excellent man, that he
thoroughly deserves a good wife"
I then began to feel that Emma believed the matchmaking was for her
friend's benefit and not herself. Although she did speak in
patronising way about Mr Weston I do not think Emma realised how often
she made it seem that she felt herself superior to her friends by
patronising them. Emma could also be described as naïve or foolish.
She often involves herself too much in the lives of other and
consequently tries to force relationships that were never meant to be,
such as that between Mr Elton and Harriet Smith.
How does the author's treatment of relationships effect the characterisation of the heroines in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Quicksand by Nella Larsen? Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know = == ==
Hero’s plight in Much Ado About Nothing is a perfect example of how the skewed male perspective can turn a sweet and innocent girl into a scheming strumpet in no time.
... among the first people to break out of these roles Diana leaves herself open to ridicule. This can be seen in the strained relationships she has with her best friend and others in her high school. Moreover, because Diana defies the gender stereotypes she has a hard time being accepted by both boys and girls—society does not know how to treat her since she does not fit into any of its categories.
...ive. There is so much diversity between these films, but they each have characters that break the stereotypical mold of femininity. Cléo breaks with the cliché of femininity by becoming an active woman searching for her gaze and true self whereas Mona breaks with the cliché of femininity by being filthy, by defying all the social conventions attributed to a decent young woman. Varda empowers the women and gives them unconventional “women roles” rather than the conventional ones like the domestic, the mother, or the prostitute. Each character must overcome or ignore their societal norm to find their womanhood, their true inner self. Varda’s films are real reflections of society, but they also feature people who don’t quite fit perfectly into that real society. However, what is interesting about her approach is that it doesn’t diminish how real those characters are.
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.
For the past few decades, women’s positions improve significantly due to feminist movements, which can be presented through contemporary films. Instead of focusing on male-only heroes, an increasing number of filmmakers tend to create female heroines. Nevertheless, women have not yet achieved reproductive rights. In other words, different from men, who can freely express themselves, female’s actions are still limited by societal norm. Thus, female characters, as a reflection of contemporary females in society, demonstrate the fact that females are attempting to challenge gender stereotypes under societal pressures. Katniss, the heroine in Hunger Games, is presented as a role model. However, Marieme, the working class girl in Girlhood, seems
It is no secret that women have been objectified in comic book culture. With the skimpy outfits, characteristics such as large breast size, and, un-proportional waist-to-hip ratio. However many would argue that this is a problem worse than a simple exaggeration. “In emphasizing the super heroine’s role as a potential, and exaggeratedly desirable, partner for the male characters in the narrative (and, indirectly, for the reader), the super heroine in question is reduced to an object to be possessed, rather than a subject with her own autonomous agency and efficacy. As a result, the super heroine – super-powered or not – is rendered relatively powerless and hence relatively unthreatening (Cook 2014:1).”
One recurring pattern of behavior in female protagonists was their tendency to always be humble and submissive to the evil villains. For example, the real princess in The Goosegirl, by the Brothers Grimm, endured disloyal and contemptuous treatment from her maid-in-waiting, when she switched positions with her and tended geese while the maid-in-waiting was to marry a prince in her place. Similarly, in another short story, Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel was helpless against the evil witch, who put her in the captivity of a tower and later in a desolate desert. Furthermore, Vasilisa in Russian story, Vasilisa the Beautiful, was ordered to do chores first for her evi...
Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.
Since the beginning of time, women have been seen as different from men. Their beauty and charms have been interpreted as both endearing and deadly to men. In the Bible, it was Eve’s mistake that led to humanity’s exile from the Garden of Eden. However, unlike in the Bible, in today’s world, women who drive men to ruin do not do so through simple mistakes and misunderstandings, they do so while fully aware of what effects their sexuality can cause. One thing remains constant through these portrayals of women, and that is that they are portrayed as flawed creations and therefore monstrous. It is a woman’s sex drive and sexuality that can lead to her monstrosity. The femme fatale is an enticing, exquisitely beautiful, erotic character who plays the ultimate trick of nature: she displays her beauty, captures the man and goes in for the kill. Films such as Adrian Lyne’s Fatal Attraction and stories such as Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Tale, and Sir Gawain the Green Knight use the femme fatale as a means of making a woman into a monster; the femme fatale can never win in the battle of the sexes. But what is it that makes the femme fatale such a dangerously character for the hero as well as the readers or viewers?
Throughout the drama, there is a strong emphasis on gender. Characters often refer to their own genders, as well as the gender of others, using them as a way of explaining or predicting personality traits and actions. The audience is quickly introduced to the subject of gender roles in society during Iphigenie's opening soliloquy. The character sorrowfully expresses self-pity about her limitations as a woman:
Kuhn emphasizes that woman’s picture the storyline is consistently determined by the ‘enigma-retardation-resolution structure’. In Kuhn’s article she details how to understand women who enjoy women’s genres. Moreover, Cher is the ideal of social and gender norms. Cher is a straight woman interested in the opposite sex which is an example of a gender and social norm. Another signifier of gender norms is Cher’s long, blonde hair. Additionally, Cher is emotional which is projected throughout the film. Society considers gender norms for a woman to be passive, flirtatious, and innocent Cher is the
Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. As a result of the changing societal norms, women have experienced more transition in their roles than any other class. During the period of classical Hollywood cinema, both society and the film industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in home in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. Women did not have predominated roles in movies such as being the heroin. The 1940’s film Gilda wasn’t an exception. In Gilda, the female character mainly had two different stereotypes. The female character was first stereotyped as a sex object and the second stereotyped as a scorned woman who has to be punished.
I also considered it could be rather interesting to study and compare how heroines act, how they are constricted by patriarchy, how their husbands treat them, and if they triumph or not, in every story.
For instance, Sally Jupiter was almost raped by The Comedian and was saved by hooded justice. She felt it was her fault that the encountered took place because she was seen as a sex symbol for most men.