Level 4 Women Studies - Topic 3 PDF

Level 4 Women Studies Topic 3 ◦ Feminism and Literature ◦. Basic Characteristics of feminist literature ◦ An example of a feminist ◦ Books listed as feminist/ seminal works  Feminism influences literature by aiming for more equality between the genders, for example, by increasing...

Level 4 Women Studies Topic 3 ◦ Feminism and Literature ◦. Basic Characteristics of feminist literature ◦ An example of a feminist ◦ Books listed as feminist/ seminal works  Feminism influences literature by aiming for more equality between the genders, for example, by increasing the number of women authors who get published.  Feminist literature is a significant channel through which authors express their frustrations with established ideas about women in patriarchal societies and their thoughts about the feminist movement itself. Feminists focus on analyzing literature to show how are women presented and how are relationships between men and women represented in order to expose stereotypes and misconceptions, and/or present new models to be inspiring to men and women and to change social norms.  -Literary texts that explore attitudes towards women  - literary texts that support belief in women’s rights  - literary texts that expose forms of women oppression  - literary texts that portray stereotypes of women  - literary texts that allow minority voices to be heard  literary texts that tackle harassment and violence against women  - literary texts that discuss themes of men/women relationships, women’s psychological and mental health, childbearing, women empowerment, women choices …etc.  Study this section in details from the ebook Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green. They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool Find even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.  Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, a poem by Adrienne Rich is a part of the feminist literary genre. It portrays the traditional domestic role assigned to a woman and her position in the oppressive patriarchal society. In the poem, Aunt Jennifer, a strong woman who lives a life which she does not choose for herself willingly, fulfills all the responsibilities as a wife without saying a word of complaint.  This poem is an example of literary texts that expose forms of women oppression especially in the marriage institution.  The words are massive weight, ordeals, fluttering fingers, mastered by, terrified hands,  Aunt Jennifer is oppressed in her married life as it is a massive weight for her. The poet presents the whole concept of marriage through the technique of metonymy by using the symbol of marriage wedding band. The nature of married life is described as being very unbearable for Aunt Jennifer as the wedding band sits heavily upon her hand.  Aunt Jennifer uses her embroidery skills to create a tapestry of tigers who symbolize freedom.  Along with all the hardships which she faces through the course of her married life, she does not give up on her dreams of having a life of her own and on her own terms so she finds art as a medium to express her innermost desires and wishes in the form of tigers, on her tapestry which are not afraid of men. To Aunt Jennifer, art provides an excellent way of escape from all her fears.  No she cannot choose because she cannot express her opinion or be free. She has internalized her freedom. since she has to endure all the oppression of her role as a wife even though the word ivory needle shows that her husband is rich and that she belongs to the upper class.  On the other hand, one may argue that aunt Jennifer exercise very limited freedom in her choice of the tapestry with the free prancing tigers.  It symbolizes women domestic roles.  It also shows Aunt Jennifer as not giving up on her dream.  The tigers are strong, chivalrous, proud and unafraid of men. They are a projection of the life Aunt Jennifer wished for and dreamed of. She lives another life in an imaginary world created by herself where she could express herself freely and openly with no fear at all. Aunt Jennifer’s art shows her desire about how she wished her life to be and the images which she forms are symbolic of her inner self that she always wanted to be like tigers who go on prancing without any fear.  The speaker of the poem also seems like an omniscient narrator who can look at both the present and future of Aunt Jennifer. Therefore, it can be said that the speaker of the poem is the poet herself who has distanced her personality to give a highlighted effect to the poem  Though the speaker uses the word aunt which suggests that perhaps the speaker might have known her closely as a relative or an acquaintance but the element of emotional bonding is missing and instead a distance can be sensed. The speaker describes the tapestry with the scenic images formed on it which shows Aunt Jennifer’s fantasies of a dream world.  If the narrator had associated herself emotionally with Aunt Jennifer, she would have to give many details about what she thinks but the poet in the poem gives mere description just like reporting an event so this creates great sympathies for Aunt Jennifer in the readers because what is left unsaid has a great impact.  Some books were not written with the intention of being Feminist texts but were later considered seminal feminist texts. Charlotte Brontë's (1816– 55) Jane Eyre: Although this book was not written as an expression of feminist concerns, its strong female character served as a radical role model for women in the Victorian Age. Charlotte Brontë published the book under the pen name 'Currer Bell’ so it reflected the difficulties facing women writers in getting published.  Kate Chopin's 1866 novel The Awakening is considered a classic novel of feminist thought.  Other books that have been adapted into movies as well include Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing  Important books by coloured women/Black women include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. In 2019, Bernadine Evaristo Girl, Woman, Other (2019); became the first Black woman to win the Booker prize since its establishment in 1969.