“ You cannot talk about genre without talking about gender.” Initially, this would appear to be a simplistic statement. On closer analysis, however, one fact becomes evident. It is the representation of gender which informs the genre of the text. Ismay Barwell , in her essay ‘ Feminist perspectives and narrative points of view’ states that “ Every text is gendered since every act of narration…..involves a process of selection….and the nature of that selection implies certain values” ( p.99). She makes the point that “ The desires, attitudes and interests which guide any choices made must be either male or female”( p.98 ). It is within this frame of reference, that the two texts will be analysed.
In terms of the meaning of conflict between women and men, popular films play a significant role in defining the applicable norms, values, and expectations. They communicate to their audience a set of ideas regarding what issues create conflict between women and men and how such conflict usually transpires. They inform their audience how such conflict should be resolved. As Mark Hedley states in his 2002 study: “They reveal to their audience who is expected to be assertive and who is expected to be compliant, who is expected to overcome obstacles and who is expected to fold under pressure, who is expected to pursue their legitimate interests doggedly and who is expected to acquiesce to such pursuits sympathetically” ( p.2 ).
When we speak about gender in relation to genre, what codes and conventions should be in evidence? What expectations do we have, as an audience, of our heroes and heroines and their behaviour? In the Hardboiled Detective Fiction genre, for example, the Hero (usually male ) is conventionally characterised as having a serious psychological or social problem, causing him to be at odds with the society within which he operates ( Davidson lecture, 2005 ). Conversely, in the Western genre, the Hero ( again usually male ) typically represents an idealistic image- selfless - considerate of those less fortunate or more vulnerable than himself. This would usually include all other characters within the text ( Mitchell,1996. p.108 ).
The existence of a gendered relationship in a film must also evidence conflict if it
is to represent the qualities of such conflict to an audience, bounded by the point at
which the relevant behavior is initiated and...
... middle of paper ...
...ng with the ideology of the Chivalric code, no male hero is permitted to harm a woman? It would appear that the female characters are secondary to the males in this text, and that their primary role appears to be one of plot development. Nevertheless, their inclusion is pivotal, not
only as plot development vehicle, but also to the exposition of male motivation.
Works Cited
Barwell, Ismay. ( 1993 ) ‘Feminist perspectives and narrative points of view’ in Hein, Hilde and Korsmeyer, Carolyn( eds.) Aesthetics in Feminist Perspective. Bloomington and Indianapolis:Indiana University Press.
Davidson, Guy. ( 2005 ) eduStream lecture; Genre: Detective Fiction.20/04/2005.
Hedley, Mark. (2000) The Geometry of Gendered Conflict in Popular Film:1986-2000.http://web7.infotrac.galegroup.com.ezproxy/itw/infomark w( accessed
01/05/2005 )
Maltin,L.( 2000 ). Leonard Maltin’s 2000 Movie & Video Guide ( Maltin,L.ed ).New York : Penguin Putnam Inc.
Mitchell, Lee Clark. ( 1996 ) Westerns: Making The Man In Fiction and Film. London : The University of Chicago Press, Ltd.
Tasker,Yvonne. ( 1993 ). Spectacular Bodies; gender, genre & the action cinema. London : Routledge publishing.
For 20 years, Asian Americans have been portrayed by the press and the media as a successful minority. Asian Americans are believed to benefit from astounding achievements in education, rising occupational statuses, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental health and crime. The idea of Asian Americans as a model minority has become the central theme in media portrayal of Asian Americans since the middle 1960s. The term model minority is given to a minority group that exhibits middle class characteristics, and attains some measure of success on its own without special programs or welfare. Asian Americans are seen as a model minority because even though they have faced prejudice and discrimination by other racial groups, they have succeeded socially, economically, and educationally without resorting to political or violent disagreements with the majority race. The “success” of the minority is offered as proof that the American dream of equal opportunity is capable to those who conform and who are willing to work hard. Therefore, the term ...
Both essays highlight how the authors felt as outsiders growing up. Both were exposed to various stereotypes and write on how the stereotypes are time again permeated across societies. Asian Americans are viewed as the ‘Model Minority’. Asian Americans have high rates of admission into institutions of higher education, low rates of drop outs and also higher grades across all groups. Asian Americans also have higher average annual incomes than other groups. Asian Americans also figure lower in crime rates. Their also hold very low poverty rates. All these figures have led to Asian Americans being touted as the Model Minority.
Chinks, bad drivers, math and science nerds, F.O.Bs and ect. There are so many stereotypes and misconception for one specific ethnic group: Asian. But perhaps the most popular image of Asian Americans presented in society is being the “model minority.” If you were to ask any random person to pick a specific minority group that was more academically, economically and socially successful compared to the others, chances are 90% of them would answer: Asians. “Asians makes more money than any other race.” “Asians have the highest grades compared to other races, especially in math and science subjects.” But contrary to these popular stereotypes, the misrepresentation of Asian Americans as the model minority are false and simply just a myth. Furthermore, this misleading comparison may actually lead to harmful consequences in Asian American students.
Considering that traditional society looked down on women as inferior to men, the female roles in each work challenge the status quo and make their audiences’ eyes wearier to the society they might have previously backed without question.
Throughout most of literature and history, the notion of ‘the woman’ has been little more than a caricature of the actual female identity. Most works of literature rely on only a handful of tropes for their female characters and often use women to prop up the male characters: female characters are sacrificed for plot development. It may be that the author actually sacrifices a female character by killing her off, like Mary Shelly did in Frankenstein in order to get Victor Frankenstein to confront the monster he had created, or by reducing a character to just a childish girl who only fulfills a trope, as Oscar Wilde did with Cecily and Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest. Using female characters in order to further the male characters’
Yoo, Brandon. "Unraveling the Model Minority Myth of Asian American Students." Education.com. 25 Oct. 2010. n.p. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .
Using the theories I have discussed regarding feminist film theories , I will apply it to two of the most commercially popular Hollywood Romantic comedies, Pretty Woman and Bridesmaids. Since they both fall under this genre, I will be able to apply these theories and compare them accordingly.
In 1970, the term “model minority” was popularized by journalists, social commentators and some academics to refer to Asian Americans. The stereotype suggests that Asian Americans are more academically, economically and socially successful than any other racial minority groups, and it was achieved by overcoming disadvantages through hard work, thrift, strong family ties, and emphasizing children’s education. Contrary to this popular belief by Americans, the exaggerated praising of Asian Americans as the model minority is false. This positive image of Asian Americans as a model minority has a sinister core of believe about Asian Americans and other racial minorities in America: a view of Asian American as foreign. Since most studies on Asian children centered on their success stories and the realization of the invisible crisis that many Asian American children face is fairly recent, few studies have addressed the diverse and complex experiences of Asian American children, especially those who do not fit the model minority stereotype. This paper revisits the model minority myth and examines the impact of model minority myth on underachieving student who are failing schools. I will first present a contextualized understanding of the “model minority myth,” what is it and what does it mean to be model minority. Secondly, I will demonstrate that the myth has been inaccurate and invalid representation for many Asian American students. Then, I discuss the impact of the model minority stereotype on underachieving Asian American student schooling. I argue that the stereotype has pose a threat to the students’ advancement on school and society. In order to illustrate the impact of the model minority stereotypes on individual experiences, I r...
The feminist perspective of looking at a work of literature includes examining how both sexes are portrayed
Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. Whenever a female character is introduced, however, the assumption is that she will be a strong lead that challenges the patriarchal values. The authors of The Thousand and One Nights and Medea use their female centered stories to prove their contrasting beliefs on the role of women not only in literature, but also in society. A story with a female main character can be seen as empowering, but this is not always the case, as seen when comparing and contrasting Medea and The Thousand and One Nights.
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.
...s often the stubborn majority, as it is difficult to simply change a characteristic so widely embedded in the framework of cinema. Therefore, it is not my objective to say that all movies must pass the radical Bechdel test or include the presence of a strong, independent female character; rather, we as a society must recognize that we are inherently biased in the topic of gender and must make an effort to exhibit a more conscientious and sympathetic portrayal of women in cinematic media. The simplest resolution can begin with clothing, where an audience’s viewing is not diverted by the lack of clothing from either male or female characters. The task of reinventing cinema is to reinvent a century of subconscious thinking, and only by taking one step at a time can both men and women watch a movie where all characters, both male and female, can be represented equally.
perspective on the concept, arguing that gender is a cultural performance. Her careful reading of
Gender is a concept that has been socially constructed to identify people as male or female, masculine or feminine. The concept is used as to regulate the way people live and is something that influences the representation of female bodies in novels. Gayle Rubin’s article, “The Traffic in Women” uses several theorists, such as Freud, Marx, Levi-Strauss and Engels to understand the role of the women and show how they are oppressed and weak in comparison to men. Angela Carter reinforces Rubin’s beliefs by sharing similar ideas of male dominance in her novel, The Bloody Chamber. She demonstrates how gender is a reflection of the body in stories such as, “The Snow Child,” “The Erl-King” and “The Tiger’s
Throughout literature, authors employ a variety of strategies to highlight the central message being conveyed to the audience. Analyzing pieces of literature through the gender critics lens accentuates what the author believes to be masculine or feminine and that society and culture determines the gender responsibility of an individual. In the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, the gender strategies appear through the typical fragile women of the mother and the grandmother, the heartless and clever male wolf, and the naïve and vulnerable girl as little red riding hood.