WHY STUDY WOMEN'S NOVELS?
I would bet money that at least a few of you are wondering why in the world we’re spending three months studying a topic called "Women in Society." Good question! Take a few minutes here and, in your class journal, jot down about 5-6 reasons why I might have decided this is a good idea. (Aside from the fact that you think I’m a radical feminist trying to indoctrinate you into my cult, I mean!)
Done that? OK, we’ll talk about those ideas in class. For now, let me tell you a story.
When I first decided to teach this unit, and once it became clear how many male students would be in the class, someone came to me and expressed strong concerns that such a focus wouldn’t interest the boys in the class and maybe I should change the unit. Obviously, women’s writers writing about women’s concerns are only interesting to, well, women. Right?
Maybe. But I want you to think about the major works we've read the past three years.
OVER HALF THE WORLD IS FEMALE, BUT...
In eighth grade we read Of Mice and Men, written by a man about manly men, and the only woman in the novel doesn't even have a name! For IGCSE we read The Great Gasby, by a man, about men–and aren’t Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle a charming bunch? We also read The Crucible, by whom and about whom? Right, men. Yes, I agree, there is Elizabeth. Yet, at the end, Miller has HER take the blame for PROCTOR’S philandering. EXCUSE ME?!
Finally, don’t forget Master Harold or A Thing of Beauty–in the first there’s not a female in sight, in the latter, they not only kill the good woman at the end...it's the Prioress’ fault, no the evil Nazi colonel’s! (OK, OK, the writer wanted dramatic irony. But you get my point!) So, aside from a few poems, short stories and a one-act or two, we spent three years (not just three months!)of your life reading about "Men in Society." Yet not once did anyone comment (not even Mrs. Francis or me), "Isn’t that unfair for the girls? Won’t this bore them?" Why? Because, culturally, we tend to assume the MALE experience is a universal experience, and women are the odd ones out.
Want a brief further look at this? Check out the following.
Living by the Male Standard: Explains how the very way we use language indicates we see men as "normal" and women as the odd ones out.
If anyone's interested, I have the book The Mismeasurement of Women and would be happy to loan it to you.
"LITERATURE IS POLITICS"
Here's a quotation from Judith Fetterley, a well-known scholar and critic. It's heavily academic in style, but reread it a couple of times, paraphrase it, and spend a few minutes thinking about what she's saying..
Wow! Heavy duty. Got it? Think she’s off her head? Consider this: Norman Mailer, an esteemed, best-selling author, has calmly asserted that there are no great women writers because, "good writing takes balls." Thus, by definition, women will never be able to write well. Some even claim English is, in fact, a "masculine" language. If you’re interested, take a look at this:Power is the issue in the politics of literature, as it is in the politics of anything else. To be excluded from a literature that claims to define one’s identity is to experience a peculiar form of powerlessness–not simply the powerlessness which derives from not seeing one’s experience articulated, clarified and legitimized in art, but more significantly, the consequence…of [being asked] to identify as male while being reminded that to be male–to be universal…–is to be not female. (p xiii)
Effeminate Christianity: Ignore the overtly Christian comments (if you want to) and concentrate on what he has to say about language and writing.
Finally, please read the following web-site, that fully and concisely expresses my attitude towards the course, its content, and you, the students.
COURSE INTRO: Especially check the "working assumptions" link at the bottom of the first page.
TASK:
Now, with all this in mind, spend about 10-15 minutes writing a 2-3 paragraph ejournal responding to the sites. You might consider:
What issues/questions do these sites raise?
What were you thinking/feeling as you read?
What surprised you, and why? What did you especially agree/disagree with?
Also (especially the guys!) include any questions, worries or concerns you have regarding the class.
When you've finished with that, post it to our list-serve, and respond to a posting of one of your classmate's.
When you're ready to move on, click the "background" link below.
