Women In Literature: Reading Through The Lens Of Gender

E-Book Overview

With the literary canon consisting mostly of works created by and about men, the central perspective is decidedly male. This unique reference offers alternate approaches to reading traditional literature, as well as suggestions for expanding the canon to include more gender sensitive works. Covering 96 of the most frequently taught works of fiction, essays offer teachers, librarians, and students fresh insights into the female perspective in literature. The list of titles, created in consultation with educators, includes classic works by male authors like Dickens, Faulkner, and Twain, balanced with works by female authors such as Kate Chopin's The Awakening and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.Also included are contemporary works by writers such as Alice Walker and Margaret Atwood that are being incorporated into the curriculum, as well as those advancing a more global view, such as Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The essays are expertly written in an accessible language that will help students gain greater awareness of gender-related themes. Suggestions for classroom discussions—with selected works for further study—are incorporated into the entries. The volume is organized alphabetically by title and includes both author and subject indexes. An appendix of gender-related themes further enhances this volume's usefulness for curriculum applications and student research projects.

E-Book Content

Women in Literature This page intentionally left blank Women in Literature Reading through the Lens of Gender Edited by Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen S. Silber Foreword by David Sadker GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Women in literature : reading through the lens of gender / edited by Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen S. Silber ; foreword by David Sadker. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-313-31346-6 (alk. paper) 1. Women in literature. 2. Literature, Modern—History and Criticism. I. Fisher, Jerilyn. II. Silber, Ellen S. PN56.5.W64W65 2003 809'.93352042—dc21 2002035212 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2003 by Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen S. Silber All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002035212 ISBN: 0-313-31346-6 First published in 2003 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is dedicated To Jules, Arielle, Devan—who make all good work possible To the beloved memory of Herman and Lilly, who come to mind whenever there's cause for celebration . . . J-F. To Al and Kenny, my wonderful family To Mother and Pearl, and the knowledge we might have shared E.S.S. This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword by David Sadker xix Preface xxiii Introduction xxxi The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain Women's Roles and Influence in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Melissa McFarland Pennell 1 All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque The War against the Feminine: Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front Mary Warner 4 All's Well that Ends Well, William Shakespeare "Doctor She!" Helena and Sisterhood in William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well Terry Re illy 8 Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy Mother, Wife, Fallen Woma