While it certainly is “strange and fantastic” to be living in a feminist movement and simultaneously be reading a novella about female liberation, there is definitely more to say in regards to the feminist agenda of this novella. Showalter does an interesting job in trying to tie in history with her-story provide background to the context of the novella. However, in trying to provide history, she veers away from the text itself and also veers away from conclusive close-ended explanations and parallels. Showalter’s feminist criticism approach is well-suited, however, I think she could have done more to better justify and cohere her argument.
First of all, I have an issue with the structure and how Showalter goes about exemplifying various points …show more content…
All I would suggest for this issue is simply that she could have and should have exemplified her argument by using more examples from The Awakening, though I understand why she used examples from other works. I get that she drew on these various works as a means to highlight the precursory history before to delving into The Awakening, which is important however, I feel like the beginning she is mostly meandering around before she gets into The Awakening. What I do like about these first few pages of history and setup is the parallel between Edna Pontellier and Katie Chopin herself, however, there is more to say about how and the ways they reflect each other in that, again, she could have drawn on more textual references on Edna’s feminist awakening with Chopin’s literary awakening. I actually think this was interesting, but there was not a whole lot on it, and it could have been expanded in a way that does not disregard the parallel of history and fiction. With these first few pages of Showalter’s essay, she meanders more often than not, and I think she could have almost dove quickly into textual references and explanations of those references rather …show more content…
Not only have I found this more and more apparent every time I have read this novella, but the changed ways I perceive the sexual nature of this novella is what gets me. When Showalter argues about the specific instances of sexual images and details while all related to the self, she gives a paragraph of examples and basically moves on. What about these autoerotic words sticks out to her? She does not exactly say, and only I can say what they mean to me. What I notice about these words – new-plowed earth, white blossoms, odor of laurel – are obviously sexual, but they give the sexual meaning to otherwise feminine descriptors. I think that in and of itself is showcasing the writing of women, whereas it is creating a subtle taboo within metaphors. They address ideas that women could not be foreseen to write about, and doing so in metaphorical writing allows them to enact control over their innate sexual desires as women, the same sexual desires that men have. The same sexual desires that men are almost encouraged not to push down, so women and via their writing are explicitly pushing the tradition of nonsexual writing, and heterosexual writing naturally, into the realm of being liberated to write about what they want, simultaneously telling a story – Edna’s story and also the story of women. This sexual nature of the writing certainly
First of all, I have an issue with the structure and how Showalter goes about exemplifying various points …show more content…
All I would suggest for this issue is simply that she could have and should have exemplified her argument by using more examples from The Awakening, though I understand why she used examples from other works. I get that she drew on these various works as a means to highlight the precursory history before to delving into The Awakening, which is important however, I feel like the beginning she is mostly meandering around before she gets into The Awakening. What I do like about these first few pages of history and setup is the parallel between Edna Pontellier and Katie Chopin herself, however, there is more to say about how and the ways they reflect each other in that, again, she could have drawn on more textual references on Edna’s feminist awakening with Chopin’s literary awakening. I actually think this was interesting, but there was not a whole lot on it, and it could have been expanded in a way that does not disregard the parallel of history and fiction. With these first few pages of Showalter’s essay, she meanders more often than not, and I think she could have almost dove quickly into textual references and explanations of those references rather …show more content…
Not only have I found this more and more apparent every time I have read this novella, but the changed ways I perceive the sexual nature of this novella is what gets me. When Showalter argues about the specific instances of sexual images and details while all related to the self, she gives a paragraph of examples and basically moves on. What about these autoerotic words sticks out to her? She does not exactly say, and only I can say what they mean to me. What I notice about these words – new-plowed earth, white blossoms, odor of laurel – are obviously sexual, but they give the sexual meaning to otherwise feminine descriptors. I think that in and of itself is showcasing the writing of women, whereas it is creating a subtle taboo within metaphors. They address ideas that women could not be foreseen to write about, and doing so in metaphorical writing allows them to enact control over their innate sexual desires as women, the same sexual desires that men have. The same sexual desires that men are almost encouraged not to push down, so women and via their writing are explicitly pushing the tradition of nonsexual writing, and heterosexual writing naturally, into the realm of being liberated to write about what they want, simultaneously telling a story – Edna’s story and also the story of women. This sexual nature of the writing certainly