Mid-Twentieth Century Feminism

Danika Rockett University of Baltimore Summer 2010 Mid-Twentieth Century Feminism

Simone de BeauvoirThe Second Sex (1949) • “One is not born a woman … she becomes a woman” • Gender is an aspect of identity that is shaped by societal norms • Men are the “norm” and women are the deviation of that norm—the “other” sex • e.g. Men are superior, women are inferior

Betty FriedanThe Feminine Mystique (1963) • Helped ignite the 1960’s feminist movement • Focuses on post-WWII middle-class family life • e.g. Leave It To Beaver, Ozzie & Harriet • Women are expected to find meaning in their lives through their husbands and children • They lose their identities to that of their family • Media and propaganda encouraged women to conform

World War II: Rosie the Riveter All the day long,Whether rain or shineShe’s part of the assembly line.She’s making history,Working for victoryRosie the Riveter

Post-World War II: June Cleaver • Popular television encouraged women to stay out of the workforce • Public images of Hollywood stars were consciously reworked to show their commitment to marriage and family • “The family is the center of your living. If it isn’t, you’ve gone far astray”

Sandra Gilbert & Susan GubarThe Madwoman in the Attic (1979) • Uses feminist theory to examine Victorian literature • Nineteenth Century male writers' tended to categorize female characters as either pure, angelic women, or rebellious, unkempt madwomen, so . . . • . . . women writers were confined to make their female characters either the "angel" or the "monster.“ • Gilbert and Gubar: Writers should strive for definition beyond this dichotomy, whose options are limited by a patriarchal point of view.

Charlotte BrontëJane Eyre (1848) Bertha: The original “madwoman in the attic” Jane = The angel Bertha = The monster Can you think of other angel/monster dichotomies in readings from this semester?

Syllabus updated on website Take –home Essay due Wednesday, July 7 Start thinking about Final Essay topic Google Scholar Knight Citations Reminders for upcoming classes

Mid-Twentieth Century Feminism

Mid-Twentieth Century Feminism

Presentation Transcript

Black Twentieth-Century Thought

Twentieth-Century Pneumatologies

Twentieth Century Christologies

Twentieth Century

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The Twentieth Century

The Twentieth Century

Twentieth Century Theologians

Early Twentieth Century

Twentieth Century Modernism

The Early Twentieth Century

Twentieth Century Artists

Twentieth Century World

The Twentieth Century

Twentieth-Century Developments

The Twentieth Century

The Twentieth Century

TWENTIETH CENTURY

TWENTIETH CENTURY ART

Twentieth Century Art

Twentieth Century

Twentieth Century Culture