Jane Austen's Persuasion Does The Impossible... But How?
Aug. 24th, 2011 | 08:00 pm
mood: 
crazy
posted by: 
jill_rg in 
feminist_lit
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(no subject)
Feb. 4th, 2011 | 12:20 pm
posted by: uhh_streetkilla in feminist_lit
4
Some say an army of horsemen, others
say foot-soldiers, still others, a fleet,
is the fairest thing on the dark earth:
I say it is whatever one loves.
Everyone can understand this—
consider that Helen, far surpassing
the beauty of mortals, leaving behind
the best man of all,
sailed away to Troy. She had no
memory of her child or dear parents,
since she was led astray
[by Kypris]...
say foot-soldiers, still others, a fleet,
is the fairest thing on the dark earth:
I say it is whatever one loves.
Everyone can understand this—
consider that Helen, far surpassing
the beauty of mortals, leaving behind
the best man of all,
sailed away to Troy. She had no
memory of her child or dear parents,
since she was led astray
[by Kypris]...
...lightly
...reminding me now of Anaktoria
being gone,
I would rather see her lovely step
and the radiant sparkle of her face
than all the war-chariots in Lydia
and soldiers battling in shining bronze.
being gone,
I would rather see her lovely step
and the radiant sparkle of her face
than all the war-chariots in Lydia
and soldiers battling in shining bronze.
8
To me it seems
that man has the fortune of gods,
whoever sits beside you, and close,
who listens to you sweetly speaking
and laughing temptingly;
my heart flutters in my breast,
whenever I look quickly, for a moment—
I say nothing, my tongue broken,
a delicate fire runs under my skin,
my eyes roar,
cold sweat rushes down me,
trembling seizes me,
I am greener than grass,
to myself I seem
needing but little to die.
But all must be endured, since…
— Sappho, Sappho's Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece, translated by Diane J. Rayor
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Discussion.
Dec. 6th, 2010 | 06:53 pm
posted by: we_tell_tales in feminist_lit
What do you think makes a piece of literature "feminist"
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Need Help: The Proposal Scene in Anne Bronte's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall"
Jul. 20th, 2010 | 06:27 pm
mood: 
curious
posted by: jill_rg in feminist_lit
This is a request for help from one scholar to many.
Hello. I'm new to this community, but I need some help understanding a certain scene in the "First Feminist Novel."
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Help!!
Jan. 7th, 2010 | 08:18 pm
mood: 
confused
posted by: nnuance in feminist_lit
Hey, will anyone tell me what "reading as a woman " really means, Culler discussed it in his "On Deconstruction". I have a few questions:
1)How is reading as a woman an act of deferral?
2)What does it mean to read like a woman then?
3)Exactly what relation has this hypothesis with deconstruction?
Thanks
1)How is reading as a woman an act of deferral?
2)What does it mean to read like a woman then?
3)Exactly what relation has this hypothesis with deconstruction?
Thanks
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promiscuities by naomi wolf
Jul. 13th, 2009 | 09:21 am
posted by: insomniamilk in feminist_lit
hi! new member here. i have been reading quite steadily this summer and it occured to me that i'd love to read a swift, thought-provoking nonfiction book next. i own "promiscuities" by naomi wolf and did a little audition with it last night while taking a bath. i read the introduction and found, as with "the beauty myth" many points i agreed with and found beautifully eloquent. however, as the introduction went on, i started to wonder if maybe, despite being published in the 90s and featuring the women of that era, it might be a bit antiquated for the sexual times now. one of the blessings of the blogosphere is the constant new voices, information and intersectionalities offered to us. i was a little put off that the book contains only accounts of white middle-class women; also, the introduction mentioned "corruptions" such as viewing the rocky horror picture show at midnight (???), without really giving a voice to why that was considered corruption...
so. should i keep reading? what does everyone think? i loved the beauty myth. and if it has fallen a bit behind, are there other books on female sexuality that i should look into? thank you!
so. should i keep reading? what does everyone think? i loved the beauty myth. and if it has fallen a bit behind, are there other books on female sexuality that i should look into? thank you!
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Kate Figes (ed.) The Penguin Book of International Short Stories by Women
Jun. 17th, 2009 | 08:48 pm
posted by: tea_drinker77 in feminist_lit
I enjoyed reading this recently so thought I'd crosspost about it here.
I started reading this book a couple of years ago but it got sidelined somewhere along the way, so I went back to the beginning and started again. It’s the kind of strong collection you expect from Penguin and I was particularly impressed by the following:
I started reading this book a couple of years ago but it got sidelined somewhere along the way, so I went back to the beginning and started again. It’s the kind of strong collection you expect from Penguin and I was particularly impressed by the following:
Alice Walker (USA) ‘Nineteen Fifty-Five’. This is about the relationship between a black female blues singer and the young white rock n’ roll star who covers one of her songs.
Alice Munro (Canada), ‘A Wilderness Station’. Where has Alice Munroe been all of my life? This story about pioneer life is wonderful. Munroe seems to have a way of getting you wrapped up in the lives of ordinary people.
Sandra Cisneros (Mexico), ‘Woman Hollering Creek’. Cisneros is another great feminist writer I must read more of.
Bessie Head (Botswana), ‘Jacob: the Story of a Faith-healing Priest’. This story is strange, offering no explanations and ending suddenly, but it's uplifting at the same time.
Anita Desai (India), ‘Games at Twilight’. This is a fantastic evocation of childhood with its intense feeling.
Luisa Valenzuela (Argentina), ‘Blue Water Man’. This writer has an amazing style.
Janet Frame (New Zealand), ‘The Reservoir’. This is another story about childhood and is masterful in its use of symbolism. She takes you on the journey with the children as they face the fears represented in ‘the reservoir.’ I must read more of her work too.
Alison Lurie (USA), ‘Fat People’. I really liked this tale about the almost hallucinatory state that can result from dieting.
Bi Shumin (China), ‘Broken Transformers’, which is a great story about morality and the relationship between a mother and her son.
A good book for getting a taste of international women's writing.
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ZINECORE #10: *live readings* CRISTY ROAD + MICHELLE TEA!
May. 6th, 2009 | 12:11 am
posted by: xeroxheart in feminist_lit
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Children's Literature
Apr. 2nd, 2009 | 03:08 pm
posted by: squidmo in feminist_lit
I'm new to this community, and my apologies if this has already been discussed, but I was wondering if anyone had some recommendations for feminist children's literature. I have a two-year old daughter, and thus far we have had a fairly easy time avoiding the Disney Princess Syndrome, but I haven't discovered too much literature (for her age range) that speaks directly about female empowerment. We have Sleeping Bobby , which is a version of Sleepy Beauty that has the gender roles reversed, and I would love to add more "fairy tale" books to our collection. I know that in preschool and beyond she will be confronted with Cinderella, and all those comatose ladies waiting on their men, and I would like to give her a more empowering introduction to literature. Racial diversity is also something that I've found lacking in the fairy tale genre, so any suggestions in that realm would be appreciated, too.
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Jane Austen & Feminism
Mar. 27th, 2009 | 02:43 pm
posted by: cb3mod3 in feminist_lit
Hey, I'm writing a report on Jane Austen & Feminism for my lovely Journalism course in Notting Hill (gorgeous!) & I really need some opinions for primary research. Any contributions would be SO SO appreciated. Let's see how clever you cats are.
Now that that’s cleared up, let’s carry on:
The questions are just to get you to think, don’t answer them one by one or anything. Try to give me a couple sound bytes for the report. Ha, ha. To place this report in context, it is for my Contextual studies class.
Statement: The portrayal of women in “Chick Lit” inspired by the works of Jane Austen actually indicates a back-pedalling on the forward-thinking Feminist ideals espoused in Austen’s novels. (I must work on reshaping that sentence, what’s with all the forwards-backwards stuff?)
Questions/considerations:
List recent media inspired by the works of Jane Austen that you are familiar with. eg. Twilight, Bridget Jone’s Diary (Or, of course, the true classics such as The Man Who Loved Jane Austen (right...), Sex and Sensibility (yikes!), or Jane Austen in Boca/Scarsdale (take your pick)) Feel free to discuss film adaptations as well (Clueless, That Mormon One)
What would a Feminist think of these pieces of media? Analyze as a Feminist. (Now that I think about it, wasn’t Elizabeth in the Mormon movie writing a book about Feminist robots or something? Clearly ahead of her time or else I really don’t get that film.)
How are women portrayed in these pieces of media?
What would a Feminist think of the works of Jane Austen? Analyze as a Feminist.
How are women portrayed in the works of Jane Austen?
And, inevitably, how are women portrayed in the works of Jane Austen as compared to the works she inspired?
Consider: The time at which Austen was writing, societal views on marriage then and today, the novels in context.
You probably get the idea so whatever you can think of; have fun with it.
This is assignment isn’t due for about two weeks but I would like to finish it this week to be honest because it’s the last week of term and I would love to enjoy a luxurious vacation. If you can’t be bothered, just give me permission and I will take the liberty of furnishing you with a veritable potpourri of suitable quotations with your name attached at no extra cost to you. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds. You guys are the bee’s knees!
Now that that’s cleared up, let’s carry on:
The questions are just to get you to think, don’t answer them one by one or anything. Try to give me a couple sound bytes for the report. Ha, ha. To place this report in context, it is for my Contextual studies class.
Statement: The portrayal of women in “Chick Lit” inspired by the works of Jane Austen actually indicates a back-pedalling on the forward-thinking Feminist ideals espoused in Austen’s novels. (I must work on reshaping that sentence, what’s with all the forwards-backwards stuff?)
Questions/considerations:
List recent media inspired by the works of Jane Austen that you are familiar with. eg. Twilight, Bridget Jone’s Diary (Or, of course, the true classics such as The Man Who Loved Jane Austen (right...), Sex and Sensibility (yikes!), or Jane Austen in Boca/Scarsdale (take your pick)) Feel free to discuss film adaptations as well (Clueless, That Mormon One)
What would a Feminist think of these pieces of media? Analyze as a Feminist. (Now that I think about it, wasn’t Elizabeth in the Mormon movie writing a book about Feminist robots or something? Clearly ahead of her time or else I really don’t get that film.)
How are women portrayed in these pieces of media?
What would a Feminist think of the works of Jane Austen? Analyze as a Feminist.
How are women portrayed in the works of Jane Austen?
And, inevitably, how are women portrayed in the works of Jane Austen as compared to the works she inspired?
Consider: The time at which Austen was writing, societal views on marriage then and today, the novels in context.
You probably get the idea so whatever you can think of; have fun with it.
This is assignment isn’t due for about two weeks but I would like to finish it this week to be honest because it’s the last week of term and I would love to enjoy a luxurious vacation. If you can’t be bothered, just give me permission and I will take the liberty of furnishing you with a veritable potpourri of suitable quotations with your name attached at no extra cost to you. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds. You guys are the bee’s knees!
