For centuries, literature has been dominated by men. Women portray minor characters and are the result of “male fantasies” (Meijer 1993, 53). This seems to change in the 1960s with the advent of feminist literary criticism (ibid.). Feminist critics start to develop their own theories or employ existing theories which can be applied to feminist critical analysis.
The connection between gender ideology and specific literary genres is one which received a lot of attention within feminist literary criticism. Certain literary genres employ dominant narrative structures which thrust women into objectified or oppressed positions. An example of such a genre is the romance plot, which is considered to be the literary variant of the traditional two …show more content…
According to the Romance Writers of America, romance novels all have a satisfying happy ending (2002). They are often accused of having a patriarchal nature: “'you start by sinking into his arms, and end up with your arms in his sink” (Greer 1970; cited in Gill & Herdieckerhoff 2006, 492). It is considered to be, as Jackson explains, a “seductive trap which justified women’s subordination to men and rendered women complicit in that subordination” (1995, 49). In other words, women are not allowed to become the protagonist of their own stories in the romance genre (ibid.).
For a very long time, female characters were restricted to the romance genre. Some say chick lit reinstates this. They claim that in chick lit the female protagonist is shackled by the romance plot (Breuer 2014, 47). Furthermore it is argued that the love story is the ruling narrative in chick lit novels (ibid.) This, however, is an exaggeration. Several critics have argued that in chick lit the emphasis is on the protagonist’s personal development, her career, and her surroundings (Mabry 2006, 200). Nevertheless the love story is an important characteristic and should not be …show more content…
They revolt against the dominant literary conventions of the romance genre by inventing other narrative strategies and in that way they present alternative visions on gender.
Furthermore Duplessis makes a distinction between ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’. A ’hero’ is central character whose development, actions and insight received much narrative attention. A ‘heroine’, however is considered to be “the object of male attention or rescue” (200). In romance novels, female characters are portrayed as ‘heroes’: their growth, self-realization activities is reported. Nevertheless by the end of narrative, women are reduced to objects of choice and the plot has created a ‘heroine’ (11).
In order to find out whether chick lit contains feminist characters, DuPlessis’ theory will be applied to the three chick lit novels. I will answer the following two questions. Do chick lit novels “write beyond the ending” and in that way react against the dominant patriarchal romance tradition? Are the chick lit protagonists portrayed as ‘heroes’ or ‘heroines?
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen
The connection between gender ideology and specific literary genres is one which received a lot of attention within feminist literary criticism. Certain literary genres employ dominant narrative structures which thrust women into objectified or oppressed positions. An example of such a genre is the romance plot, which is considered to be the literary variant of the traditional two …show more content…
According to the Romance Writers of America, romance novels all have a satisfying happy ending (2002). They are often accused of having a patriarchal nature: “'you start by sinking into his arms, and end up with your arms in his sink” (Greer 1970; cited in Gill & Herdieckerhoff 2006, 492). It is considered to be, as Jackson explains, a “seductive trap which justified women’s subordination to men and rendered women complicit in that subordination” (1995, 49). In other words, women are not allowed to become the protagonist of their own stories in the romance genre (ibid.).
For a very long time, female characters were restricted to the romance genre. Some say chick lit reinstates this. They claim that in chick lit the female protagonist is shackled by the romance plot (Breuer 2014, 47). Furthermore it is argued that the love story is the ruling narrative in chick lit novels (ibid.) This, however, is an exaggeration. Several critics have argued that in chick lit the emphasis is on the protagonist’s personal development, her career, and her surroundings (Mabry 2006, 200). Nevertheless the love story is an important characteristic and should not be …show more content…
They revolt against the dominant literary conventions of the romance genre by inventing other narrative strategies and in that way they present alternative visions on gender.
Furthermore Duplessis makes a distinction between ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’. A ’hero’ is central character whose development, actions and insight received much narrative attention. A ‘heroine’, however is considered to be “the object of male attention or rescue” (200). In romance novels, female characters are portrayed as ‘heroes’: their growth, self-realization activities is reported. Nevertheless by the end of narrative, women are reduced to objects of choice and the plot has created a ‘heroine’ (11).
In order to find out whether chick lit contains feminist characters, DuPlessis’ theory will be applied to the three chick lit novels. I will answer the following two questions. Do chick lit novels “write beyond the ending” and in that way react against the dominant patriarchal romance tradition? Are the chick lit protagonists portrayed as ‘heroes’ or ‘heroines?
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen