“Do you dare to suppose me so great a blockhead, as to not know what a man is talking of?” What does Austen reveal through misunderstandings and cluelessness in ‘Emma’ and other works? Jane Austen’s novels are known for their depiction of the lives of young women who are represented as heroines and embark on a journey towards clarity and understanding and growth towards maturity. In the time period of Austen’s writing the expectations for women were for them to find a man with wealth who could offer them financial stability and a comfortable way of life. This can be demonstrated through the opening statement from Mrs Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, that it is ‘a truth universally acknowledged that a single man, in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife’ and that a man is considered to be ‘the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters’ (Ch. 1).
In the introduction, Cather’s description of Jim could easily be a description of herself. It is possible that Cather has camouflaged herself as Jim Burden in My Ántonia because many of Jim’s thoughts and feelings in the novel were Cather’s own thoughts and feelings while growing up. Also, like Jim, Cather enjoyed visiting with immigrant neighbors, she had a love for the classics and for drama; and, like Jim, when he was middle-aged, she revisited “Ántonia” A.K.A. Anna Sadilek, her model for the character Ántonia, and renewed their friendship. This reunion inspired Cather to begin writing My Ántonia.
Her poetry demonstrates a very high level of sexual interest in women which although was not extremely uncommon, homosexuality does not operate within the gender roles and norms. Sappho ran what is known as “Sappho’s circle”, a group of young women whose common interest was forming intimate relationships although the women were limited to only have sexual relationships with herself (Duban, 1983). In this group, women learned to play music along with other subjects. This shows a lack of dependence on men. In archaic Greek culture, women are meant to be governed by men.
According to Wikipedia, the term sentimental novel is defined as, “The sentimental novel or the novel of sensibility is an 18th century literary genre which celebrates the emotional and intellectual concepts of sentiment, sentimentalism, and sensibility. Sentimental novels relied on emotional response, both from their readers and characters” (Wikipedia). However, I define the genre to be one that encompasses both the feeling that it evokes from the readers as well as the tears that it can produce. Obviously as discussed in class, there are seven ideas that qualify a book as a sentimental novel, but, one stylistic that I felt to be left out of those seven is that to me there seemed to be a cultural evil of society throughout Charlotte Temple, as well as other sentimental novels I have read. The evil that I felt was portrayed in Charlotte Temple is not the independence Charlotte wants, but the realization that she can’t get her independence happily without the financial and emotional assistance that others can give her.
In The Catcher in the Rye however, despite the fact women are also presented as materialistic at times, through Holden Caulfield J.D Salinger explores women as largely innocent and independent, rather than shallow beings who’s existence solely relies on the men in their lives. Ultimately, as both novels are seen through the eyes of men they share a patriarchal view on women in society, but they also explore the representation of women in quite different ways, reflecting their standing in society at the time. The first time women are mentioned six pages into the book is through Daisy. However, interestingly she comes second best to her spouse, and Nick references their family as the “Tom Buchanans”, rather than 'The Buchanans' or 'Tom and Daisy Buchanan'. Daisy is Nick's family, whereas Tom, as well as being her husband, is just someone Nick knew from college.
In this essay, it will be discussed that women were displayed positively by the Qur’an and did not shy from society itself. Women of a different religion would accuse the Qur’an of being sexist and patriarchal, but Islamic women would disagree. This notion of the Qur’an being unequal and suppressed women’s rights was due to the death of the Prophet. Ahmed stated in her research that, Muhammed enacted laws from God that were very positive towards women. The demise of women’s rights began after the death of Muhammed and the Islamic conquest.
It was assumed that True Womanhood would be naturally adopted because of women’s deeper religious connections and because of her purity. These were two qualities that men were not assumed to have possessed naturally. Christian Motherhood was a part of the fuel behind the propaganda of True Womanhood. Protestant leaders made women the leaders in cleansing of society from evil. Men were seen deviating from religious values and it was up to the women’s “purifying passionless love”(barbera Welter) to salvage the men’s relationship with God.
It is no doubt that Elizabeth Bennet is one of the most typical figures among the whole plots. Behaving decently and outstanding, feminist, superior judgment but easily affected by prejudice are all describe a most extraordinary model for her. Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813. It follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th century England. In fact, just like Mr. Teachman expresses his opinion in his book----“ it explores the moral and social conditions of life in the early nineteenth century in ways that enable us to understand that earlier time better and to examine with
Louisa’s first book “flower Fables” was written for the daughter of Emerson, a family friend. Her fathers optimistic mind, and her friends influenced her ideas and views of world. Louisa gave back to society with her books. She wrote books for young readers, like the very popular “Little Women”. Not only did she write for younger readers, but also for women.
Although, highly engrossed in medieval concepts of patriarchy, Romantic poets like S.T Coleridge, John Keats’ fraction of work silhouettes range in the attributes of Feminism. They are; liberty of thought, freedom of expression and equality in social hierarchy with men. The role of women in society, in early 18th century and before, portrays a dismal picture as far as their liberty, social status and gender equality is concerned. Medieval culture, deep rooted in religion, had kept woman at bay from the mainstream economic, political and societal activities. She was a threat to the male chauvinism and was condemned as a weaker, inferior sort of being.