Ambiguities of Counter-Hegemonic Monologism in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing
In his book Ideologies of Epic, Colin Graham looks at the recognisable tendency of Victorian epic poetry to establish or attempt to establish a monologic discourse in relation to the concept of nation, national literature and empire. Epic as genre and the concept of nation, “ . . . desiring to be ‘centripetal’, turning in upon themselves, denying the existence of the ‘other’” (Graham,1), is a phenomenon relevant to monologic discourse as it may be perceived not only in national epic but also in the novel and it’s concomitant ideologies.
Graham points to the evolution in literary history, the move towards the adjectival use of the word ‘epic’, particularly with regard to the work of Wordsworth and George Eliot. He notes, “ . . . [the feminising and privatising of ] the once-public, turning narratives of action into narratives of the drama of selfhood.” (Graham,4)
In a post-colonial context and in the geographical context of Canada one can see in Surfacing how Atwood asserts a feminist counter hegemonic discourse with and within a discursive framing of Canadian national identity.
Graham draws on the work of M.M.Bakhtin, the Russian critic. Michael Gardiner’s comments on Voloshinov are also seen by Graham as relevant to this discussion of monologism:
The dominant class is motivated to ensure fixity of meaning and arrest the flux of the sign, insofar as the establishment of a monolithic or ‘official’ language facilitates the socio-political unification of society. (Gardiner, 16)
So, monologism is synonymous with hegemony - be that sexual, social, imperial or any other ideological assertion of dominance and fixity. Thus, the status of the subaltern - where the subaltern has no ‘voice’ - leaves them, as Bakhtin says, as, “ . . . another person [who remains] wholly and merely an object of consciousness, and not another consciousness.” (qtd.in Gardiner, 26)
In Surfacing the subaltern role could be filled by both male and female. The narrating I holds the discourse firmly. She alone has her inner consciousness exposed and denies others their consciousness. Unlike, say, Toni Morrison in Jazz, where questions of gender and race are dealt with through a narrative consciousness that moves fluidly from one voice to another.
As feminist epic, structurally and adjectivally, the foregrounding and dominance of the ‘I’ forms a moral-ideological hierarchy.
Anna walks out of the bedroom, dressed in jeans and shirt again. She combs her hair in front of the mirror, light ends, dark roots, humming to herself.
Within Tan’s writing comparisons there lies a powerful teaching about changes occurring to different people throughout times, how those people cope differently within those times, and the importance of time, by identifying with the impacts created from events and influences carried by every character. As a result, this defines the evolution of the changes the characters experience over the course. Again Culture Learning describes that “A new type of person whose orientation and view of the world profoundly transcends his or her indigenous culture is developing from the complex of social, political, economic, and educational interactions of our time (41).” Furthermore, it has been quoted that “Time shows all things”, Amy Tan used time as scope to show the reader what most fail to realize. She analyzes the positive and negative aspects of the Chinese and American cultural identities that exist, as well as revealing said lasting effects from generation to generation. "After the gold was removed from my body I felt lighter, more free. They say this is what happens if you lack metal. You begin to think as an independent person (63)." Upon realization of the effects of cultural influence, Tan establishes creditability to both her own experiences and the overall message of “The Joy Luck Club”, in order to educate and enlighten the reader on the bigger
When being questioned on the identity of her child’s father, Hester unflinchingly refuses to give him up, shouting “I will not speak!…my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthly one!” (47). Hester takes on the full brunt of adultery, allowing Dimmesdale to continue on with his life and frees him from the public ridicule the magistrates force upon her. She then stands on the scaffold for three hours, subject to the townspeople’s disdain and condescending remarks. However, Hester bears it all “with glazed eyed, and an air of weary indifference.” (48). Hester does not break down and cry, or wail, or beg for forgiveness, or confess who she sinned with; she stands defiantly strong in the face of the harsh Puritan law and answers to her crime. After, when Hester must put the pieces of her life back together, she continues to show her iron backbone and sheer determination by using her marvelous talent with needle work “to supply food for her thriving infant and herself.” (56). Some of her clients relish in making snide remarks and lewd commends towards Hester while she works, yet Hester never gives them the satisfaction of her reaction.
Hatto, A. T., gen. ed. "Heroes and Heroines." Traditions of Heroic and Epic Poetry. Volume Two: Characteristics and Techniques. London: The Modern Humanities Research Association, 1989.
Many feminist/post-modern theorists see language as a patriarchal construct that excludes women. As Jeanie Forte writes, this characterization of language is informed by Lacanian theory, which, in turn, is influenc...
National Council for the State Boards of Nursing, APRN background, (2012). Report of the nursing policy and legislative efforts. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/428.htm#Nurse_Practitioner_Certification
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
Although, the purpose of this text was to fit such description as the “epic poem”, ...
Hester’s sin is that her passions and love were of more importance to her than the Puritan moral code. This is shown when she says to Dimmesdale, "What we did had a consecration of its own. We felt it so! We said so to each other!" Hester fully acknowledged her guilt and displayed it with pride to the world. This was obvious by the way she displayed the scarlet letter. It was elaborately designed as if to show Hester was proud.
Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature due to the fact that it is the oldest surviving epic poem of Old English and also the earliest vernacular English literature. Tragedy and epic have been much discussed as separate genres, but critics have not hesitated to designate certain characters and events in epics as tragic. For the most part, they have assumed or asserted an identity between epic and dramatic tragedy. Even in The Odyssey, Penelope and Telemachus suffer enough to rouse their deep passions and to force them like the tragic sufferer to consider their own predicaments in the world they live in. C.L. Wrenn wrote on Beowulf, “A Germanic hero is a tragic hero, who shows his highest greatness not alone in winning glory by victory, but rather by finding his supremely noble qualities especially in the moment of death in battle” (Wrenn 91). Beowulfs hubris, the representation of wealth as a profiling characteristic for the villages, and Beowulf’s ability to find his might in his moment of “death,” all show the very nature of the poem which defines it as not only an epic poem, but also a tragic one.
Amy Tan is a Chinese-American author. She had become Americanized, according to her mother, who still held traditional Chinese values. They fought sometimes, just as the women and daughters of The Joy Luck Club, over who was right and who was wrong regarding many problems they encountered. Tan most likely modeled The Joy Luck Club after her relationship with her mother. She even dedicated the novel “To my mother and the memory of her mother. You asked me once what I wo...
Stump, Colleen Shea, Kevin Feldman, Joyce Armstrong Carroll, and Edward E. Wilson. "The Epic." Prentice Hall
Throughout all the sinful things Hester Prynne has done, she still managed to obtain good qualities. Hester was an adulterer from the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester was looked down upon by the citizens of Boston because of the sin she and another person committed, but no one knew who her partner in crime was because she refused to release his name. Towards the very end of the story Hester’s accomplice confessed and left Hester and Pearl feeling joyous, because now they didn’t have to keep in a secret. Hester is a trustworthy, helpful, and brave woman throughout The Scarlet Letter.
2. Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" is considered a Romantic epic poem. What is the definition of an "epic"? Does Spencer's poem appear to you to be an epic? Why, or why not?
Traditionally, an epic is a grand and elaborate story of a hero and their travels. The obvious hero travels over long geographic distances, and may possibly visit the underworld. Celestial transitions are common, as well as long and elaborate speeches by the characters. The hero in an epic undergoes a battle, after intricate descriptions of their preparations, and the result is a clear outcome. Masculinity is evident in epic poems taking on themes of grant events, elevated situations, courage, importance, and strength; but the same cannot be said for a mock-epic.
Moreover, Fairclough has highlighted the fact that language is highly manipulative in nature as it is used as an agent of hegemony. By hegemony, the sub-ordinate class is made to think that the dominant group has all the rights to rule over them and to deal them as per their choice and interests. Such mindset is shaped by using several ideological means. Gramsci (1996) opines that the ruling