Feminism and women’s rights encompass many different aspects of society, but at the core they advocate the equal treatment of men and women. Women have been viewed as less significant and less influential than men throughout history, based upon the gender roles in which society imposes. Bernard Shaw uses the preface of Saint Joan to challenge the confining gender roles imposed upon women, by conveying how Joan is treated in her own time, the portrayal of her in literature and the importance of her physical appearance to historians.
In supporting women’s role in society, Shaw refutes the gender roles that governed female behavior during Joan’s life. Shaw conveys how significance the gender roles faced by Joan were in her lifetime; the two …show more content…
Shaw’s main upset with Joan’s portrayal in literate was that all of the authors tried to impose the values of women in their time period so Joan would become a more sympathetic character. Shaw is especially critical that “Andrew Lang and Mark Twain are equally determined to make Joan a beautiful and more ladylike Victorian” (26) even though she did not hold the values of a lady during her own era or the Victorian era. In questioning the portrayal of Joan as a beautiful and moral young lady, Shaw demonstrates his disapproval of history altering women’s behavior to be more socially acceptable just so their actions are more respected. Shaw states “[if] a historian is an Anti-Feminist, and does not believe women to be capable of genius in the traditional masculine departments, they will never make anything of Joan [,]” (8) which not only establishes that Shaw views himself as a feminist but expressed his opinion that anyone who is not a feminist could not truly appreciate Joan. In the preface of Saint Joan, Bernard Shaw demonstrates his support to feminist ideas by criticizing the literary portrayals of Joan that altered her to more social acceptable views of
In supporting women’s role in society, Shaw refutes the gender roles that governed female behavior during Joan’s life. Shaw conveys how significance the gender roles faced by Joan were in her lifetime; the two …show more content…
Shaw’s main upset with Joan’s portrayal in literate was that all of the authors tried to impose the values of women in their time period so Joan would become a more sympathetic character. Shaw is especially critical that “Andrew Lang and Mark Twain are equally determined to make Joan a beautiful and more ladylike Victorian” (26) even though she did not hold the values of a lady during her own era or the Victorian era. In questioning the portrayal of Joan as a beautiful and moral young lady, Shaw demonstrates his disapproval of history altering women’s behavior to be more socially acceptable just so their actions are more respected. Shaw states “[if] a historian is an Anti-Feminist, and does not believe women to be capable of genius in the traditional masculine departments, they will never make anything of Joan [,]” (8) which not only establishes that Shaw views himself as a feminist but expressed his opinion that anyone who is not a feminist could not truly appreciate Joan. In the preface of Saint Joan, Bernard Shaw demonstrates his support to feminist ideas by criticizing the literary portrayals of Joan that altered her to more social acceptable views of