Literary Theory In Pride And Prejudice

It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables. However, if transcending female expectations was used as a weapon than for good, is it still considered an act of femininity? Of course not!

Katha Pollitt, in her essay, “Marooned on Gilligan’s Island: Are Women Morally Superior to Men?” addresses the topic of how difference feminists actually weaken women. Difference feminists believe that women are morally superior to men. Pollitt was invited to sign a peace petition, but realized it was actually demeaning to women. Throughout her essay, Pollitt discredits several difference feminists by stating the flaws in their claims. The claims difference feminist make are such as the idea that all women are nurturers.

In the dystopian genre, the role women play in these stories vary greatly from strong heroines to submissive housewives. In the novel titled The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, the women are portrayed far more like the latter throughout the story. This is a constantly repeated theme displaying to the reader that in this society, the women are expected to always be supportive and in constant servitude of their husband; the women who stray away from these preset quotas of how they must act are ridiculed; and a woman’s main purpose that defines her worth is her ability to produce normal, healthy children.. In Waknuk,the women are expected to act as one dimensional stereotypes. The women of Waknuk are expected to always stay supportive and

Furthermore, Feminist Criticism provides a better view of literature because it shows that women can be powerful. When Emilia finds out that her husband has been plotting an evil plan she says,” Tis proper I obey him, but not now”(Othello V.2.195). Emilia refuses to help her husband after she finds the cruel intentions he has despite the expectation of women always being submissive to their husbands. Women also have a voice and feelings, they are capable of defying their husbands commands when they know what he expects is simply wrong. In a literary article,The Role of Women in Othello: A Feminist Reading states that,” Society weighs heavily on the shoulders of women; they feel that they must support the men and defer to them, even if the actions of the men are questionable” (Literary Articles).

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women in an extremely negative light. The idea Fitzgerald gives off is that women are only good for their looks and their bodies and that they should just be a sex symbol rather than actually use their heads. He treats women like objects and the male characters in the novel use women, abuse women, and throw them aside. I believe that Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle are prime examples of women in The Great Gatsby being treated poorly. In this novel, Daisy is the most abused by male characters.

The scene has been transformed in "Clueless" to show a sexist view of women. "I don't have friends that are girls". This displays the thought that women are possessions and not thought of as anything else and there is a strong sense of class despite the context "Clueless" is written in. The character, Tai, is given a sense of innocence due to her lower class and is rebuffed by Elton the same way Mr. Elton from "Emma" does with Harriet, in pure disgust. "Miss Smith!

A thorough analysis of The Greats Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, demonstrate a woman named Daisy is pressured to act according to the current era ethics. Daisy is portrayed as an ideal woman from a quick glance, however she is far from the current norm and she contains flaws that do not come from the mold a woman is expected to be shaped from in the modern era. It becomes conspicuous in a statement from Gatsby that Daisy priorities wealth over love. “’She never loved you, do you hear?’ he cried. ‘She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me.” (pg.

In act two, Priestly writes Mrs. Birling to divulge the snobbery upper-class women portray, Sybil tells the inspector that Eva "was giving herself ridiculous airs. She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position", Mrs. Birling instantly reveals class prejudice when referring to Eva as "a girl" and not a woman. Priestly uses Sibilance when repeating the 's ' sound throughout the quote: "Ridiculous airs... fine feelings... scruples... simply absurd". It may be just a coincidence that Priestly calls her Sybil Birling, but the sibilance with the repetition of the letter 's ' recreates that sinister snake-like hissing sound; this gives us an insider on Mrs. Birlings evil intent. There is also a strong sense of irony when she refers to Eva 's feelings as "elaborate" since she used elaborate language to describe them such as: "ridiculous airs", "scruples" and "absurd".

You done been spoilt rotten,” (Hurston 27). Logan stated that Janie was “spoilt rotten” he made her a lower class than what Janie really is. This is an idea of sexism because women are seen more as fragile, gentle, and not hard working. By Logan comparing Janie to his last wife, Logan is stating that she isn’t the image or the female that Logan expects Janie to be, a hard working female. This subject ties to sexism because Janie was not able to express herself but lived through the image of a hard working female.

Is being a woman something someone should be blamed for? Growing up as a woman in the 1900s was very unfair for all females. They had less rights and were treated as if they were prized possessions. A book that provides insight into this topic is Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. In the book, the only female character is married to the boss’ son, Curly.