*Tis is an old university assignment*
Feminist
reviews are essential for the advancement of the female voice and presence
inside and outside of literature. I have read two Feminist reviews to try and
understand what defines Feminism. The articles that I have read are Ruth
Robbins’ “Reading the Boys’ own Stories: The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Heart
of Darkness”, and Bell Hooks’ “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist
Oppression.” These articles hold deep insight into the perceptions of Feminism
and female presence inside of male-dominated literature. The Feminist stance of
the Ruth Robbins’ and Bell Hooks’ articles are as follows. Ruth Robbins took a
peculiar dive into three male-dominated texts. These three texts were the Heart of Darkness, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She tries to shine the light of
Feminism upon works in which the female figure is nonexistent or ridiculously
insignificant. Bell Hooks holds more of the stance that Feminist discourse has
yet to be thoroughly defined. Bell Hooks in her article clearly states that
women and society are incapable of truly concurring as to what “Feminism”
represents. Within these two articles, light is shed onto ideas of Feminism and
female roles in literature.
Ruth
Robbins in “Reading the Boys’ own Stories: The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Heart
of Darkness” places a Feminist theorist’s point of view on the three books
mentioned above. These writings are male-centered writings with minimal female
interaction. However, Robbins decides to dissect the three selected manuscripts
and reveal to us the subtle, inner workings of women within the literature. With
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, one Feminist diagnosis appears at the end of the book. The chapter “Full Statement of the
Case” is both a scientific case study and a personal confession. Henry Jekyll
was such man that needed a wife because he had everything else. “The story
contains no hint of any woman who could represent an eligible spinster for such
a man” (Robbins 226) Jekyll’s discovery is disturbing to his fellow
professional men because it threatens their own sense of upstanding
masculinity. It contaminates masculinity by threatening femininity within the
supposedly indivisible male self. In The
Strange Case, Ruth Robbins speaks of the upstanding figure in which Henry
Jekyll is portrayed, but he was taken over by the darker side of his work. This
was because he had no feminine balance in his life.
In
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Ruth Robbins is saying that with this nearly
homosexual attraction to Dorian Gray, who needs women in the text? Robbins states that to certain extents all
three main characters of the book (Basil, Henry, and Dorian) are feminized.
“They are passive, idle and often bored” (228). About Dorian himself the most
significant thing is his appearance. We first meet Dorian as the object of the
portrait of which he is also the subject. Dorian is painted as a fulfillment of
Basil’s artistic dreams, and the portrait is so successful that all three men begin
to confuse object with subject—picture with man. The effect is that Dorian is
commodified in ways that woman of his class and beauty are. The confusion of
his painted picture and self is also a confusion of normative gender roles.
Basil worships Dorian. That worship is replicated in Lord Henry when “we
discover from his wife that he has seventeen or eighteen photographs of
[Dorian] in his room” (229). It is also the presentation of his image between
Lord Henry and Basil that makes his image feminized. Basil seeks to paint
Dorian as a feminine arousal. Basil wants to capture Dorian’s lips half parted
and the bright look in his eyes. “That is the exact image of a sexually
receptive female, pornographic; where parted lips and shining eyes are the
essence of feminine appeal” (229).
In
Heart of Darkness, Ruth Robbins places a Feminist view of the
book by issuing that the feminine presence is deconstructive. Two types of females are
present in this story. One of them is Kurtz’s love from home who is a typical
female for the time the story was written. She is delicate, stay home, no
stress, dictated by others type of female. However, the other female is the
Mistress. She is feared by men due to her more masculine self. She appealed as
more masculine than the men. The Mistress is feared due to her self-confidence.
This self confidence aids in revealing that men have a deep fear of losing
adventure stories. Within the story males are perceived as more powerful and
consume the female presence. Linguistic hegemony is how the male remains in
control. The women of this tale fall to victims of linguistic hegemony.
Bell Hooks begins
her article by talking about the central problem within the Feminism discourse.
Hooks came forward stating that the central problem has been the inability to
either “arrive at a consensus of opinion about what Feminism is or accept
definition(s) that could serve as points of unification” (Hooks 22). Women, as
well as society, have been unable to truly agree upon what a “Feminist” is.
This poses a not so humorous situation that indicates a growing disinterest in
Feminism as a radical political movement. Today Feminism appears as a term
without any clear significance. From a label of “anything goes”, the definition
of Feminism has become nearly meaningless. Many definitions of Feminism have
been passed around like a hot potato but then dropped. A few of those
definition proposals are the following: A struggle to end sexist oppression, an
establishment of a political party, and a lifestyle change as opposed to a
“political commitment” (26). This
article confronts the question of why so many women oppose Feminism. Women are hesitant
to supporter Feminism because they are uncertain about the meaning of the term,
they see Feminism as synonymous with lesbianism, they look down upon political
movements, and some reject connection with any women’s rights association. Women
of oppressed ethnic groups dismiss the term because they do not wish to be
perceived as supporting a racist movement; Feminism is often equated with white
women’s rights effort.“Most women are familiar with
negative perspectives on ‘woman’s lib’ than the positive significance and power
that we must now struggle to recover and maintain” (24). Women are allowing
fear of radical political movements and rumors of pro-lesbianism to prevent a
potentially powerful movement. In conclusion of Bell Hooks’ article, she states
that “defining Feminism as a movement to end sexist oppression is crucial for
the development of theory because it is a starting point indicating the
direction of exploration and analysis” (27). This article is saying that the term
“Feminism” has not been clearly defined thus leaving a bitter taste in the
mouth of society.
In
conclusion, we have learned a great amount from both articles. Ruth Robbins helps
us to understand a few concepts. These concepts are “a world without women is
also a world in which ‘real’ men do not exist” (Robbins 226), “a femininity
which means objectification is dangerous” (232), and “it is only fear and lies
that make order” (239). Robbins commented about how Feminist readers merely
adopt diverse places to stand in relation to texts and diverse points of focus
within them. On the other hand Bell Hooks lets us see the uncertainty of
Feminist viewpoints. She helps us understand that we need to eliminate
underlying causes of sexism and group oppression. Without this change in
philosophical structure, “no Feminist reforms will have a long range impact”
(Hooks 27). Robbins speaks of the female presence in literature and how it can
teach us. Hooks speaks about the undecided nature of Feminism and how it has
been crippling female reforms. Yet both articles make the clear the power and
effect that women have on our society and daily lives. Without the presence of
women in our culture, “real” men would not exist. These articles give profound
insights into the way we need to treat women and their reform movements. They
have a voice that will soon be heard, and will shake the foundations of our
society. Feminism will have a central role in reforming our society; Feministic
opinions must be improved and nurtured.
