Nola Mellon
VC3
Literature Review
Thesis Prep
Has the particulation of the gaze theory influenced the UCD200?
For my literature review I will survey various authors that have written about the key issues I will deal with in my thesis. These issues will be semiotics in relation to male and female gender roles, the ideals of masculinity and femininity within a patriarchal society, the origins and history of the gaze theory and its implications in the modern world.
In “Doing Gender In Media, Art and Culture” Rosemarie Buikema explains semiotics, signifiers and signified in relation to gender. The signifier (male, female) is signified with attributes and qualities, for example the female body is often associated with nature, passivity, beauty …show more content…
These associations are therefore used to differentiate the sexes and like other areas of nature, the female body becomes the object of social control whereas the male body is considered an instrument of control. Thesander goes on to say that femininity is a product of culture and the social demands continue to place women in society as aesthetic objects.
I believe Rosemarie Buikema, Ian M. Harris and Marianne Thesander are strong resources that will help my research on the ideals of masculinity and femininity because they will aid my understanding of how both are constructed in a patriarchal society.
In regards to the gaze theory, I will be analysing John Berger, Laura Mulvey and Carol Duncan’s work. Each of these people writes about the gaze within visual culture. John Berger wrote about the male gaze in his book “Ways of Seeing” in 1972. Berger examines society’s relationship with the female body, in particular the artist’s relationship with the female nude within an oppressive patriarchal world. “Men look at women, women watch themselves being looked at… Women constantly meet glances, which act like mirrors, reminding them of how they look or how they should look” (Berger, …show more content…
Duncan talks about the sexually dominating presence of the painter who portrays his females as sexually subjugated objects. She believes these paintings portray the fantasies and fears of the painter in a changing world. The painter is trying to resolve the “woman problem”, the mysteriousness of nature.
“The artist, in asserting his own sexual will has annihilated all that is human in his opponent. In doing so, he also limits his own possibilities. Like conquered animals, these women seem incapable of recognizing in him anything beyond a sexually demanding and controlling presence.” (Duncan)
I believe Berger’s discussion of the male gaze is a strong example of the gaze theory in practice and the implications it has on being a woman in a male dominated society. Similarly, Mulvey’s analysis of the male gaze and its relation with scopophilia will help connect some key issues in my thesis. Duncan’s points will also aid my search for the possible reasons why the male gaze is inherent in
VC3
Literature Review
Thesis Prep
Has the particulation of the gaze theory influenced the UCD200?
For my literature review I will survey various authors that have written about the key issues I will deal with in my thesis. These issues will be semiotics in relation to male and female gender roles, the ideals of masculinity and femininity within a patriarchal society, the origins and history of the gaze theory and its implications in the modern world.
In “Doing Gender In Media, Art and Culture” Rosemarie Buikema explains semiotics, signifiers and signified in relation to gender. The signifier (male, female) is signified with attributes and qualities, for example the female body is often associated with nature, passivity, beauty …show more content…
These associations are therefore used to differentiate the sexes and like other areas of nature, the female body becomes the object of social control whereas the male body is considered an instrument of control. Thesander goes on to say that femininity is a product of culture and the social demands continue to place women in society as aesthetic objects.
I believe Rosemarie Buikema, Ian M. Harris and Marianne Thesander are strong resources that will help my research on the ideals of masculinity and femininity because they will aid my understanding of how both are constructed in a patriarchal society.
In regards to the gaze theory, I will be analysing John Berger, Laura Mulvey and Carol Duncan’s work. Each of these people writes about the gaze within visual culture. John Berger wrote about the male gaze in his book “Ways of Seeing” in 1972. Berger examines society’s relationship with the female body, in particular the artist’s relationship with the female nude within an oppressive patriarchal world. “Men look at women, women watch themselves being looked at… Women constantly meet glances, which act like mirrors, reminding them of how they look or how they should look” (Berger, …show more content…
Duncan talks about the sexually dominating presence of the painter who portrays his females as sexually subjugated objects. She believes these paintings portray the fantasies and fears of the painter in a changing world. The painter is trying to resolve the “woman problem”, the mysteriousness of nature.
“The artist, in asserting his own sexual will has annihilated all that is human in his opponent. In doing so, he also limits his own possibilities. Like conquered animals, these women seem incapable of recognizing in him anything beyond a sexually demanding and controlling presence.” (Duncan)
I believe Berger’s discussion of the male gaze is a strong example of the gaze theory in practice and the implications it has on being a woman in a male dominated society. Similarly, Mulvey’s analysis of the male gaze and its relation with scopophilia will help connect some key issues in my thesis. Duncan’s points will also aid my search for the possible reasons why the male gaze is inherent in