A Very Short Introduction By Jonathan Culler - 1279 Words

In Literary Criticism A Very Short Introduction, author Jonathan Culler writes on feminist theory: on the one hand, feminist theorists champion the identity of women, demand rights for women, and promote women’s writings as representations of the experience of women. On the other hand, feminists undertake a theoretical critique of the heterosexual matrix that organizes identities and cultures in terms of the opposition between man and woman (Culler 140). These two approaches, championing and critiquing can be found in both the works of Jane Austen and E.M. Forster. In their novels, we welcome a central female character who flourishes into their own understanding of the word, and provides their own literary voice to an overwhelmingly†¦show more content†¦Rather, Lucy’s character is merely that, her own, a full embodiment of herself, and ultimately this is the major revelation she transcends to through her journey in Forster’s novel. Whereas Elizabeth seeks to prove a point of equality, Lucy seeks to embody that point. This does not discount Elizabeth’s progressiveness, but rather is central to how these two characters embody a continuum of feminism’s development. Both Elizabeth and Lucy exhibit strong determination, but contexts shape them differently. In the world of victorian England, Elizabeth Bennett rejects the man she is destined to love because he outwardly does not met the decorum of socie ty and slights her with his mannerism. In a similar way, Lucy holds to her own private prejudices in her rejection of George Emerson. But George Emerson is a far cry from Mr. Darcy; George being someone who has grown up equalizing women whereas Darcy has grown up believing they have a place. Therefore, for Lucy, expectations are different because the shift in gender equality is already well underway. Throughout the novel bread crumbs are dropped for Lucy about her own potential, whereas for the females of Austen’s Longbourn, marriage is their only opportunity, their lone certain way to escape. Even Elizabeth Bennett cannot escape this reality. In A Room with A View the female character’s autonomy is placed front in center. Furthermore, femininity itself is burgeoning out of evenShow MoreRelatedEssay on Evolution and Ambiguous Communication766 Words   |  4 Pagescould come right out and say it more precisely in a nice block of prose? This inherent ambiguity of poetry is best expressed by Culler in Literary Theory: If you take the sentence as a poem, the question isnt quite the same: not what does the speaker or author mean but what does the poem mean? How does this language work? What does this sentence do? (24) Here Culler points out an interesting decentralization of original meaning. In an ambiguous form of transmitting meaning (such as art, musicRead MoreEssay about Our Value of Art918 Words   |  4 PagesIt has many forms, such as painting, sculpture, architecture and the written word. Rousseau proposes, Instead of thinking of life as something to which signs and texts are added to represent it, we should conceive of itself as suffused with signs (Culler 12). For these purposes the signs which Rousseau identifies are works of art. This statement speaks to the inseparable quality of life and art. Since life and art are connected they invariably affect one another. Life is inherently chaotic. ThisRead MoreThe Fact Of Blackness By Frantz Fanon1223 Words   |  5 Pagesblack man’s lack of interpellation enhances the white man’s performativity furthering white supremacy; a way of rejecting neocolonialism that disregards societal norms. â€Å"Performative utterances do not describe but perform the action they designate† (Culler 96), and the repetitive assertions from the white man placed upon the black man results in him being inferior. The white man’s performativity about Butler’s idea of gender trouble, that gender, sexuality and biological makeup are not correlated. ItRead MoreSigmund Freuds Theory Of Psychoanalysis1636 Words   |  7 Pagesand the free-floating signifiers found in deconstruction, travels throughout the dreams and defenses of the mind, bringing together literature, psychology, civilization, and people throughout the world. Works Cited Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 1997. Freud, Sigmund. â€Å"Pyscho-analysis.† Translated by James Strachey, Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies, edited by Robert Dale Parker, Oxford UP, 2012, pp. 181-94. Parker,Read MoreSuccesses and Failures of Patriarchy in Colonialism2853 Words   |  12 Pagesexplored in different settings; the colonisation of the Irish in â€Å"Translations†, an unnamed island in â€Å"The Tempest† and the Igbo tribe in â€Å"Things Fall Apart†. Prospero is a familial patriarch, shown through his dominant control of Miranda, such as ‘the very minute bids thee ope thine ear. Obey and be attentive’ . Hugh’s control of Manus is familial, as is Okonkwo’s control of his wives and children. Prospero’s control of Caliban and Hugh’s control of the school is societal. Aristotle says that HumanityRead MoreStructuralism and Interpretation Ernest Hemingways Cat in Ther Ain9284 Words   |  38 Pagesencourage a pointless and self-indulgent academicism, by which the same information is shuffled from one set of categories to another, from one jargon to another, without any real advance in appreciation or understanding? The analysis offered here of a short story by Ernest Hemingway is intended to support a positive answer to the first set of questions, a negative answer to the second set. But first it may be useful to remind ourselves of the range and variety of theories, methodologies and approache sRead More William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay examples4807 Words   |  20 Pagesauthority of her father behind, to forget about the only man who had such a great influence on her life and to be truly alive for once. Another symbol providing readers with valid information about the protagonist is the Grierson’s family home. In a very interesting way the reader is presented with an image of a house which immediately brings to mind its occupant, Miss Emily: â€Å"It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated [†¦], set on what had once been our most select streetRead MoreCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 Pageshave a definite unity. This will be found in the sequence of the essays, which for this reason are best read in the order proposed. However, it would perhaps be advisable for readers unversed in philosophy to put off the chapter on reification to the very end. A few words of explanation — superfluous for many readers perhaps — are due for the prominence given in these pages to the presentation, interpretation and, discussion of the theories of Rosa Luxemburg. On this point I would say, firstly, thatRead MoreLanguage and the Destiny of Man12402 Words   |  50 Pageslived presence would have become totally incomprehensible. It was claimed that this dualism of substances was the unmistakable symptom of metaphysical thought, which would possibly mean that the very presence of metaphysics is indicative of a serious case of misapprehension or deviation1. However, the very idea of â€Å"Cartesian dualism† may be viewed as a locus obscurus in the philosophical thought. It is an obscure place not only because it has been inadequately examined or debated. Rather because recentRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 PagesMcAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringin g together the very diverse strands of work that today qualify as constituting the subject of organisational theory. Whilst their writing is accessible and engaging, their approach is scholarly and serious. It is so easy for students (and indeed others who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves