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From New Criticism to Feminism

From New Criticism to Feminism. 1. autonomous self/text, universal human nature, Self/text — gender and sex-- determined by society and history, and more specifically, by patriarchal society. Feminisms: Starting Questions. Who is feminist ? Can a man be a feminist?

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From New Criticism to Feminism

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  1. From New Criticism to Feminism 1. autonomous self/text, universal human nature, Self/text—gender and sex-- determined by society and history, and more specifically, by patriarchal society.

  2. Feminisms: Starting Questions • Who is feminist? Can a man be a feminist? • What are the differences between men and women? (gender difference) • Biology--Is our body our destiny? • Personality--What is “being feminine” like? • Career Aptitude—Are there jobs unsuitable for women? • Writing--Do men and women write differently?

  3. Feminisms: Starting Questions(2) • Images of Women: • Are there any texts similar to “A Rose for Emily” or “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” or 母親﹒ • What are the traditional/stereotypical images of women? What’s wrong with them? • How do women deal with those traditional images? Rejecting them completely? • How do women look at women and women’s images? From a man’s perspective, or a woman’s?

  4. Feminisms: Starting Questions(3) • Feminine Writing, Feminist writings and Women’s work: • What is feminine writing? Does it have definite features? • Are all women writers feminist writers? • What are the feminist strategies used in feminist writings and cultural productions?

  5. Feminisms: Starting Questions(4) • Body, Desire, Sexuality and Sexual Orientation: • How do women express/liberate their desires? Is sexual liberation the only good way? How about body sculpture? • How do we determine our sexual orientation? • What is “good sex” and what is “bad”? (How about S/M) • Should pornography be banned? And prostitution be legalized?

  6. Feminisms: focuses in class 1. women's positions in patriarchal society and discourses (this week) 2. history of feminist movement & writings 3. Feminisms and Gender Studies:Radical Feminism, French Feminism, Post-Feminism, Lesbian Feminism, Taiwanese Feminisms

  7. What is patriarchy? • 1. male domination and limitation of women in society; • 2. male superiority in ideologies(e.g. Aristotle declared that "the female is female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities"; St. Thomas Aquinas:woman is an ‘imperfect man’; Confucius） • 3. in language and literature (e.g. chairman, the universal "he"; God as "He"; in Chinese:妒、姦、妙、佞, etc. • 4. in sex and biology (women as rapable, receptacle of sperm)

  8. Male Dominance in Literature • Predominance of male writers • Women limited to writing in certain genres (e.g. diary, letter, romance). • Stereotypical presentation of women

  9. Male Dominance in Literature • Objectifications of Women – Angel or Whore • 1. Stereotyping Idealization; Degradation

  10. Male Dominance in Literature (2): Images of Women • 1) as objects of desire--e.g. "Araby," "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" "To His Coy Mistress" and courtly love poetry, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” • 2) as symbol--"Young Goodman Brown," "Grecian Urn" "To Autumn" • 3) as Other or Villain–Snow White’s Stepmother; Fatal Attraction • 4) women inferior or subordinate--Eve, romance (knight and lady), 007 films and the other Hollywood films (Working Girl, Coma, Silence of the Lamb)

  11. Male Dominance in the Other Cultural Products • Classical Nude Paintings • Hollywood Films (contemporary ambivalent ones: Switch) • Music videos • Commercials, advertisement

  12. Ways of Seeing by J. Berger • nudity is a sign, different from being naked. • The nude in traditional oil paintings either look at "us" (the spectator-owners in the past) or look at the mirror • The nude shows signs of submissiveness (e.g. being languid, passive and thus available).

  13. Dream World (on music videos) • Who gets to tell the story about sexuality in music videos? • Roles of women: musicians, back-up singers, dancers, part of the story, subject of the song. • Main functions: to be looked at, decorative • Behavior: always sexually aroused and active; nyphomaniac • Activities: getting in and out of clothes; available for peeping. • Even female artists are trapped by this male way of looking at women.

  14. Is this ad an objectification of woman’s body?

  15. Does this ad present an active woman, contrary to traditional stereotypes?

  16. “The Female Body” • “The female body has many uses. It’s been used as a door-knocker, a bottle-opener, as a clock with a ticking belly, as something to hold up lampshades, as a nutcracker, just squeeze the brass legs together and out comes your nut. . . . “ Margaret Atwood

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