Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
English Language and Literature Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in English Language and Literature
Austen's Realist Feminine Icon, Sean Mcconnell
Surviving Womanhood, Sierra Bravo
Surviving Womanhood, Sierra Bravo
Student Writing
Literary analysis of three Margaret Atwood poems, all of which depict the pressures of conformity that gender roles place on young girls and women. Discusses how in breaking down these topics, Atwood creates a female survival guide that champions female agency and self-realization.
Othello As A Domestic Tragedy: Marriage And Moral Extremism, Sophie A. Miller
Othello As A Domestic Tragedy: Marriage And Moral Extremism, Sophie A. Miller
Global Tides
The dehumanization of female characters in Othello by viewing them through antiquated and dichotomous views of women and female morality is a major factor in the play's tragic ending. These women exist in the context of changing marriage customs that came along with changes in government and religious structures of authority. Through Iago's influence, Othello comes to shift from the more modern companionate view of marriage into an outdated patriarchal model. The play is one of many Early Modern Dramas examining marriage but does not fit in with Patient Griselda plays or with domestic tragedies in which unfaithful wives are …
To Kill A Mockingbird, The Help, And The Regendering Of The White Savior, Brett Seekford
To Kill A Mockingbird, The Help, And The Regendering Of The White Savior, Brett Seekford
James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)
Filmmakers continue to use the “White Savior “ archetype to construct racialized messages in the post-Civil Rights era. These protagonists, who resolutely defend the rights of African Americans, ultimately focalize whiteness and marginalize black characters and voices. Though a white savior features prominently in both To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and The Help (2011), The Help’s regendering of the archetype invites viewers to imagine a world in which a white savior is no longer necessary. The Help’s update on the white savior trope from Atticus Finch to Skeeter Phelan allows for deeper development of black characters and a …
"That Irate Pornographist": Gender And Nature In Mina Loy's "Songs To Joannes", Margaret Konkol
"That Irate Pornographist": Gender And Nature In Mina Loy's "Songs To Joannes", Margaret Konkol
English Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
“Deliberate Voluptuousness”: The Monstrous Women Of Dracula And Carmilla, Judith Bell
“Deliberate Voluptuousness”: The Monstrous Women Of Dracula And Carmilla, Judith Bell
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Vampire women play a culturally significant role in films and literature by revealing the extent to which deviation from Socially accepted behavior is tolerated. In this thesis, I compare the vampire women of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla to their depictions in recent adaptations. In Stoker’s Dracula, the vampire sisters are representative of the shortcomings of 19th century gender roles, especially in regard to women’s communities. In recent adaptations, the vampire sisters’ revealing clothing, promiscuity, and lack of characterization are still closely connected with villainy, and as in Stoker’s novel, the women’s violent deaths in the …
"Casting Aside That Ficticious Self.": Deciphering Female Identity In The Awakening 2015, Anne L. Dicosimo
"Casting Aside That Ficticious Self.": Deciphering Female Identity In The Awakening 2015, Anne L. Dicosimo
Master's Theses
Kate Chopin’s female protagonists have long since fascinated literary critics, raising serious questions concerning the influence of nineteenth-century female gender roles in her writing. Published in 1899, The Awakening demonstrates the changeability of the various representations of woman. In the nineteenth century, the subject of women may be divided into two categories: the True Woman and the New Woman. The former were expected to “cherish and maintain the four cardinal virtues of piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity” (Khoshnood et al.), while the latter sought to move away from hearth and home in order to focus on education, professions, and political …
Bayard Vs. Drusilla: The Burden Of War And Legacy, Kate Shillingford
Bayard Vs. Drusilla: The Burden Of War And Legacy, Kate Shillingford
Student Writing
No abstract provided.
Contesting Victorian Beliefs: The Unintended Effects Of Victorian Novels, Christina Barquin
Contesting Victorian Beliefs: The Unintended Effects Of Victorian Novels, Christina Barquin
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Victorian society reproduced polarized gender roles known as the ideology of the separate spheres in order to confine the authority of women. However, as the Victorian Era progressed social norms were gradually contested, and the consequences of the assertion of female authority led to reform. In reinterpreting the Victorian women’s movement, I will interpret the effects of the writers of the late nineteenth century who argued explicitly against proposed changes in the traditional position of middle-class women. I will most closely examine how the late Victorian novels, A Marriage Below Zero by Alan Dale and The Revolt of Man by …
A Daughter's Struggle To Individuate In "Einstein's Daughter", Matthew K. Werneburg
A Daughter's Struggle To Individuate In "Einstein's Daughter", Matthew K. Werneburg
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
Claudia Smith Brinson’s short story, “Einstein’s Daughter,” is a coming of age tale about a young girl who must delicately navigate her relationship with her mother in order gain independence. The protagonist, who narrates the story, remains unnamed and is defined mostly in reference to her mother’s lineage. The narrator begins the story with the concept that one’s biologically inherited character traits largely determine one’s future. Alluding to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the protagonist uses her extraordinary speed to travel back in time and explore the previous three generations of families on her mother’s side. She uses her observations to …
"Where Angels Fear To Tread": Tracing The Journey Of The Female Poet In Aurora Leigh, Dorcas Y. Lam
"Where Angels Fear To Tread": Tracing The Journey Of The Female Poet In Aurora Leigh, Dorcas Y. Lam
Senior Honors Theses
Through Aurora Leigh, Elizabeth Barrett Browning explores the role of female poets as agents of social change in the Victorian society. During the Victorian period, the role of women was largely confined to the domestic setting. While women were allowed to write, female writers were limited to the realm of novels, which was perceived by the Victorian society to be the less distinguished genre. In writing Aurora Leigh, Barrett Browning challenged this gender stereotype by producing a "novel-poem" that unites the feminine voice with masculine authority and superiority. Like Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh, in her fictional role as a …