Transcript Mid-Twentieth Century Feminism

Danika Rockett
University of Baltimore
Summer 2010
“One is not born a woman
… she becomes a woman”
 Gender is an aspect of
identity that is shaped by
societal norms
 Men are the “norm” and
women are the deviation
of that norm—the “other”
sex

 e.g. Men are superior,
women are inferior
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Helped ignite the 1960’s feminist
movement
Focuses on post-WWII middle-class
family life
 e.g. Leave It To Beaver, Ozzie & Harriet

Women are expected to find
meaning in their lives through their
husbands and children
 They lose their identities to that of their
family

Media and propaganda encouraged
women to conform
All the day long,
Whether rain or shine
She’s part of the
assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory
Rosie the Riveter
Popular television
encouraged women to stay
out of the workforce
 Public images of Hollywood
stars were consciously
reworked to show their
commitment to marriage and
family
 “The family is the center of
your living. If it isn’t, you’ve
gone far astray”

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Uses feminist theory to examine Victorian literature
Nineteenth Century male writers' tended to
categorize female characters as either pure, angelic
women, or rebellious, unkempt madwomen, so . . .
. . . women writers were confined to make their
female characters either the "angel" or the
"monster.“
Gilbert and Gubar: Writers should strive for
definition beyond this dichotomy, whose options
are limited by a patriarchal point of view.
Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre (1848)
Bertha: The original
“madwoman in the
attic”
Jane = The angel
Bertha = The monster
Can you think of other
angel/monster dichotomies in
readings from this semester?
Syllabus updated on website
Take –home Essay due Wednesday, July 7
Start thinking about Final Essay topic
Google Scholar
Knight Citations