Women In Literature

When She Was Good

2007-04-27T09:36:00.002-05:00

What view of women does the Roth novel suggest? Is Lucy like any of the female characters we have studied? We made a huge leap from 1897, but has the view of women changed--or is there enough evidence in the novel to make the judgment?

"I vant to suck your blood."

2007-04-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

How different was the portrayal of Dracula in the novel from your idea of the cinematic Dracula? Do you think that Dracula is anti-feminine, or does it simply return to stereotypical feminine behaviors and expectations in terms of the role of women and their sexuality?

Sorry for forgetting to post this last week. Oh well. Just try to get the two posts in this week. I will post this Friday as well to finish off, although I will only require you to respond once next week.

Let's Wait on Dracula

2007-04-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

I'd like us to wait for our discussion of Dracula until next week when we've finished the novel. Take the week off!

"Oh, Hedda Gabler"

2007-04-08T22:02:00.000-05:00

What do you make of Hedda Gabler? Which of the other protagonists we have studied this semester is she most like? How can we classify her--in relation to Nora and Helene and in relation to the other women in literature since Antigone?

Nora and Helene

2007-03-30T10:06:00.000-06:00

One of the critical articles I gave you said that Ibsen himself saw Helene Alving as a successor to Nora, but while Nora leaves, she stays. Do you see any affinity or similarity between the two women? What about between Torvald Helmer and Pastor Manders? What makes the women and the men different from each other? You need to consider things such as social class, of course, and mid-19th century morality. How did each woman, and man, view marriage and duty, and how do they all reconcile those ideas in the light of the actions of the plots of the plays?

If you need a few more questions, I think I can come up with them!!

"But you never loved her!" Who is Emma?

2007-03-23T12:58:00.000-06:00

Very early in the novel, Emma Bovary laments her fate of being a woman. She even longs for a boy so she can get her "revenge" through him. Is just her fate of being a woman in an oppressive patriarchal society enough to justify her actions? I didn't sense much sympathy for her in our class discussions, but she is always fighting the limitations of her culture. Are we less sympathetic toward her because while Charles is a boorish, dim, and unsophisticated man, he is basically good, and kind and true to her (and worships her)?

Does she ever suggest, in thought, word or action, that she would live differently if she were free from the constraints and double standards of her sex?

Maggie and Hester

2007-03-02T16:54:00.000-06:00

Both Maggie and Hester are "ruined" women. That is a curious term, when you think about it. Ruined for what? for who? Is ruined redeemable?

One thing we discussed briefly was that Maggie's only chance for redemption was death. Do you agree with that, and do you think Hester is redeemed? What brings about her redemption, if you think that is true. What might complicate the question is that since Hester never repents, is she even in need of redemption?

Another thing I want you to think about is while it's clear that Hawthorne and Crane are presenting one view of woman in each of their novels, do you think that narrative is condemning the woman or the treatment of her? This is something you will see on the exam for all the works we have studied. You don't need to address any but Maggie and Hester here, but think about it.

"A" is not for Apple

2007-02-23T14:06:00.000-06:00

The Scarlet Letter shows the branding of a woman in a morally intolerant society. In class we read the line "The scarlet letter had not done its office" (Ch. XV [my page 223]). This comes after the narrator reveals Hestor's question about the existence of "the whole race of womanhood." What "office" is the scarlet letter supposed to do? [Dictionary.com defines "office" as "a service or task to be performed; assignment."]

What About Eve?

2007-02-16T09:41:00.000-06:00

If the purpose of this class is to see the various ways that women are depicted in literature (either a reflection of the attitudes toward women in the wider culture or a comment on that attitude), how would you define Milton's attitude toward women? What does his creation of the character of Eve in Paradise Lost suggest about women--and men's attitude's toward them? Remember that Eve is the only female in the poem.

What Kind of Creature is Sin?

2007-02-09T10:38:00.000-06:00

I know that I said that I will only post prompts to discuss further what we have already discussed in class, but since we only have Milton for next week, and I KNOW Eve will be a topic for the following week, I'm looking ahead to the description of Sin in Book II. That being said, I will also not expect you to respond to this blog before class on Tuesday if you tend to save your reading for the night before.

What is familiar about the description of Sin in Paradise Lost? What is significant about her own birth? You might recall that Athena sprang from the forehead of Zeus, and so what is Milton doing with this allusion, warped though it may be? What about Death? Does the depiction of Sin matter in our general agenda of how women are characterized in canonical literature?

Your discussion here is so awesome it is a little daunting for me to come up with a suitable prompt!!

"An excellent thing in woman"

2007-02-01T13:59:00.000-06:00

Regan, Goneril and Katherine all certainly do not display what Lear considered "an excellent thing in woman," a voice that "was ever soft,/ Gentle, and low." While we can't actually use Lear as the spokesman for all things proper in women, the idea of silence as a virtue for women is, and has been, a traditional belief. Remember that Creon wants to silence Antigone.

So, what happens when a woman keeps silent (Cordelia)? What happens when they do speak, and what are the consequences? What does speech reveal about their characters? Is Katherine silenced in the end of The Taming of the Shrew? Is silence part of her "taming?" You can think of silence as both literal and figurative--complete or selective.

Lysistrata--Another type?

2007-01-26T09:48:00.000-06:00

With the character of Lysistrata, we have yet another woman, who, while she does certainly step outside the accepted norms of Greek women's behavior, uses another stereotypical feminine behavior to make her point. What is the final effect of the action of the play? Why does Lysistrata use "woman as sexual manipulator" to propose an end to the war? Does it make the men see women any differently? Based on this play (not on his life), what do you think Aristophanes thinks about women? I think it is interesting that he was highly critical of the war himself and makes some very salient points about the futility and irrationality of war though Lysistrata--but who hears them?

I read with great interest the discussion this week. Your comments are insightful and thought provoking. Make sure you take the time to go back and read the entire discussion even after you have posted your comments. That is just about my favorite thing to do!

From One Extreme to the Other

2007-01-19T10:14:00.000-06:00

We have discussed two very different "types" of women in Antigone and Medea. You may not agree that they are types but that they are, indeed, two distinct women. However, can you argue that the playwrights are writing types.? How influential is this stereotyping in creating ideas about women? Why does that matter? You can also look at the difference between the anti-feminine speech of Creon in Antigone and the blatant misogyny of Jason in Medea.

For those new to this, I tend to ask a series of questions in an attempt to make you think about how to answer the first question. I can't help myself.

2007-01-17T09:10:00.000-06:00

Can you hear me now?

I'd like you to reply to this just so I can see who is in the blog.