Morality In Ann Radcliffe's The Romance Of The Forest

While defying society's standards Edna Pontellier proved how different she was from Adèle. Leonce displays his frustration with how his wife, Edna, treats him, “He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation” (Chopin 6). Encircling the Pontelliers’ marriage was dissatisfaction due to Edna’s rejection of her duties as a mother and wife. Although Adèle has a disconnection with Edna’s personality she still displays friendliness while staying true to her own nature. Adèle is the epitome of what society considers an ideal woman, which helps show how different she is from Edna, “Many of them were delicious in the role; one of them was the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm. If her husband did not adore her, he was a brute, deserving a death by slow torture” (9). The people around Adèle recognize her as a woman of grace, so she became society’s idea of a motherly-woman. Although Adèle conveys friendliness to those surrounding her, she also displays how devoted she is to her

In “The Fair Jilt,” Miranda’s character is a manipulative and ill-natured woman whose behaviors connect her to the traditional view of women being innately evil. Behn’s presentation of a woman who conforms to stereotypical behaviors is puzzling considering the grave need for women writers who tell their stories and demonstrate that women cannot be defined by stereotypes. Despite the appearance of Behn accepting these harmful stereotypes, her use of them allows her to reveal the underlying factors that cause women to “misbehave” and results in them being characterized as villains. In early literature, stories about women who swindle ignorant men for societal advancement or women who cuckold their husbands are often used to define all women

In Edith Wharton’s most remarkable novel, Ethan Frome, the main character, Ethan Frome, is in love with a prohibited woman… his wife's cousin. His wife, Zeena, is a sick woman who has a villainous essence to her and an irrevocable hold on Ethan. Mattie Silver is Zeena’s cousin and the woman Ethan is infatuated with. Through Ethan’s eyes, Mattie is described as youthful, attractive, and graceful basically everything Zeena isn’t. This references to the theme: society and morality as obstacles to individual desires.

The nature of womanhood, or what we perceive as the inherent proclivities that govern only those born as a woman, is often the base argument for the unequal treatment of the female sex. Women are weak, natural-born mothers, unfit to do much else beyond simple household chores and rearing children. This portrait of women seems almost comical in its antiquity; however, we cannot disregard the past, as it shapes the present. The question of the nature of womanhood is rarely allowed nuance, which is a shame, because womanhood can be many, often contradictory things. Instead, the traits we often associate with womanhood stem from society’s projection of what women should be, not necessarily what they are. English novelist Marian Evans Lewes exists counter to 1800’s European beliefs of womanhood. Instead of adhering to society’s standards, she adopts the pen name of a man and becomes a successful author, avoiding judgement for her work based solely on her gender. In her letter to Melusina Fay Peirce, however,

since the release of the original. While the 1978 cast was predominately white, the 2016 remake included multiple people of colour in supporting roles. Other than the taming of certain misogynistic language, the overall story and message remained the same. The directors chose to include the outdated sexist banter between the T-Birds, the sexualization of the female characters and the unacceptable slut shaming of women, as well as the binary views of gender roles. Grease Live! uses the male gaze and displays women with “their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness” (Mulvey 11). The female characters were still written to appease the male viewer both in looks and attitude.

Hamlet's words, “frailty thy, name is a woman” (1.2.148), forever redefined femininity in literature. Throughout works such as The Great Gatsby and Hamlet women are never treated as equals to their male counterparts and their role is characterized by misogyny, dependency and utter obedience. According to Aristotle, “the courage of a man lies in commanding, a woman's lies in obeying; that 'matter yearns for form, as the female for the male and the ugly for the beautiful”. Hamlet and The Great Gatsby reveal compelling parallels in their portrayal of the role of women. The mistreatment and inequality of women is a predominant issue in each work and is illustrated through the two main female protagonists, Queen Gertrude and Daisy Buchanan. Ultimately, women are

Women in England during the 1800s faced restrictions to participate in movements and were limited in their political speaking and voting capabilities. Although many women accepted their fate, some fought for a different social role. (“The Women 's Rights Movement”) Women such Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley inspired a new way of radical thinking towards human rights, specifically the rights of women (Surgis). Thanks to these inspiring individuals, there was a change in women’s attitude regarding their options to become part of the work force, gain an education, and have equal rights in marriage (Surgis). Educating women was the primary focus for many modern feminists, explaining that if women were educated the opportunities

Intertextuality is the way in which texts refer to other media texts that producers assume audiences will recognize.

Charlotte Perkin Gilman wrote a fictional short story, “If I Were a Man” in 1914 to explain male supremacy over women and the absurdity of gender roles in society. Jill Rudd and Val Gough, authors and professors in communication and English, stated in their book Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Optimist Reformer “the idea of gender and subordination based on gender [is] a central tenet” in Gilman’s writing (7). Gilman wrote “If I Were a Man” to help the progression of the women’s rights movement in 1914. Gilman’s audience comprises both men and women. She lets men see how women feel and how they should take a stand for the women. At the same time, she gives women a perspective on men’s feeling about women’s rights. Charlotte Gilman uses a variety of rhetorical devices in the short story to make her point that the establishment of societal gender roles causes the viewpoint of male supremacy over females.

“I became the mistress of Mr. Glenmurray from the dictates of my reason, not my weakness or his persuasion.”(Opie, 88)

The novel by Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale, was truly a remarkable and unbeatable story depicting two women who have taken extremely opposite stands in regards to Nazis occupation in France. Throughout the storyline, Hannah was able to weave the ink on a page into wondrous and thrilling narrations from these two sisters. Indeed, one almost feels as if they were completely submerged in the mind’s of these dynamic characters. In a way, Vianne and Isabelle can be compared to the actions of the natural elements of fire and water. One goes with the flow, not really pushing against the current; while the other blazes against everything in its path, not stopping for anything, or anyone. Yet, they both are a force of nature in their own right. Vianne and Isabelle both have their reasons for acting in their particular manner throughout the storyline.

‘’It’s not often you get female characters who don’t fit in a box’’, complained actress Rebecca Hall. Females are considered to be extremely emotional and one dimensional characters in classic literature. They point to classic pieces such as Pride and Prejudice’s character Elizabeth and The Scarlet Pimpernel characters. Though female characters can bring humor, conflict, or romance even though they are critiqued otherwise. In The Scarlet Pimpernel, the Comtesse brings happiness and a loving tone to the story while Marguerite brings the conflict and the troubling romance.

Throughout time, men and women have lived together. Now, whether they lived equal is a different point. The designated gender expectations laid upon each individual from the time of birth is typical, and we see these expectations everywhere. Even small examples like how girls are supposed to love pink, and boys blue, are imprinted in the minds of everyone. Edith Wharton, author of the famous novel Ethan Frome, developed her characters around the gender expectations of her time. Wharton stuck to gender normative characteristics by following the traditional gender roles when creating the characters in Ethan Frome. We see the typical "female role" in all three main women; Zeena Frome, Mattie Silver, and Mrs.

In both stories, Marie de France’s “Lanval” and Chretien de Troyes’s Lancelot, the authors show that women have the ability to achieve their desires through certain type of tactics. These tactics varies and can be manipulation or convincing through speech and action. A man can be easily convinced by a woman with ease, when they long for them. For women, it’s easy to capture the eye of a man just by using their body. A woman’s body has a magical effect on men and can cause a “spell” on him. The only men who can escape this “spell” are the men who have no passion in their heart and these words will not effect them. A good example of a woman who represents power by her beauty is Queen Guinevere. Both authors, Marie de France and Chretien de Troyes

Feminist literary criticism’s primary argument is that female characters have always been presented from a male’s viewpoint. According to Connell, in most literary works, female characters often play minor roles which emphasize their domestic roles, subservience and physical beauty while males are always the protagonists who are strong, heroic and dominant (qtd. in Woloshyn et al.150). This means that the women are perceived as weak and are supposed to be under the control of men. Gill and Sellers say that feminist literary criticism’s approach involves identifying with female characters in order to challenge any male centred outlook. It aims at resisting traditional assumptions of gender (3). In doing so, feminist literary criticism examines how works of literature perpetuate or challenge patriarchal attitudes. In feminism lens, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins’ presents itself as a pro-feminist series It challenges gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist; Katniss Everdeen. The book has successfully challenged gender stereotypes by showing that men and women are equal. It is the societal constraints that do not provide a level playing field for both genders. Using Wollstonecraft’s book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to analyze the Hunger Games this essay demonstrates how men and women are equal.