A Critique of Twentieth Century Feminist Criticism

Feminist criticism arose in response to developments in the field of the feminist movement. Many thinkers such as John Stuart Mill, Mary Wollstonecraft raised their voice against the injustice done to women in every sphere of life. As this gained momentum throughout the world, feminist also awakened to the depiction and representation of women in literature which is one of the influential medium of socialization and culture. They argued that woman and womanhood are not biological facts but are given social constructs. One is not born a woman, but becomes one through culture and socialization. At first, feminist criticism was reactionary in the nature in the sense that they exposed stereotypical images of women in the literature. These images of women were promulgated by the male writers. These images of women were what men think of women. Gradually, feminist criticism moved from this phase to more constructive work. They unearthed many women writers that were either suppressed or neglected by the male literary tradition. In this way, they created a separate literary tradition of women writers. Feminist critics divided this tradition in such phases as feminine phase, feminist phase and female phase. They also studied the problems faced by female creative writers. They used theories from post-structuralism, Marxism, psychoanalysis to study the nature of female creativity. They also realized that there is an innate difference between male and female modes of writing. Feminist critics also exposed the sexiest nature of man-made language. They also exposed phallic centrism of much of the western literary theory and criticism. They also started to study the language used by the women writers. Simon De Beauvoir, Virginia Woolf, Elaine Showalter and Juliet Mitchell are some of the feminist critics discussed in this paper.

Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas: Case Report

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas is a rare pancreatic tumor with low malignant potential, typically affecting young women. In literature this tumor may be referred to as Frantz tumor, solid tumor, cystic tumor, papillary-cystic tumor or solid pseudopapillary tumor. According to the current WHO classification from 2010 these tumors are considered low-grade malignant epithelial tumors of pancreas. In this case report we present a case of 19-years old women with cystic lesion located in left hypogastrium. After thorough evaluation and subsequent multidisciplinary consultation, the patient was indicated to radical resection of the lesion. Final histological evaluation of the surgical specimen revealed the diagnosis of solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm.

Rethinking Language and Gender in African Fiction: Towards De-gendering and Re-gendering

The recognition and acceptance of the social construction of gender and the coercive nature of gendered subjectivities has been at the centre of feminist discourse which challenges the subjugation of the woman. G.D. Nyamndi, therefore, in his Facing Meamba attempts to address these concerns and proffer feasible solutions. The representation of women in literature, the role of gender in both literary creation and literary criticism, as studied ingynocriticism, the connection between gender and various aspects of literary form in such genre and metre embody masculine values of heroism, war, and adventure. This androcentric stand has compromised the rights of the woman, resulting in her marginalization, alienation and exclusion from socio-cultural activities. She is maligned with a sense of inadequacy. The patriarchal centre prevails and dominates the woman who has been pushed to the margin of the society. In this regard, Nyamndi demonstrates that, the African woman still has a place within the postcolonial context even though the man is imbued with more powers than the woman. Informed by the postcolonial theory, this study argues that, gendering constitutes a grave danger to a harmonious existence between the two genders. The study revealed that, de-gendering and re-gendering can create harmony between the man and woman because the two concepts are basis for gender equality. To achieve this, language which constitutes a semiotic mould has been exploited to deploy themes like, gender inequality and cultural issues.

Imagery of Assert and Valor With Reference to Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace

Amitav Ghosh' contribution for the welfare of women in literature is notable. He has given a multifaceted picture of women in all his works. His women characters have occupied a unique position in the literary arena. He was able to picture a typical ground reality of women in different location and situations. He has given a wide experience to all his readers to explore different women characters from an ordinary woman to a woman who meet all challenges and succeed in life. He has typically pictured women with challenges and struggles they face in their day today life. This chapter aims to picture the strength and courage of women positive and progressive in the novel The Glass Place.

A Case of Penetrating Foreign Body Causing Mild Symptoms of Acute Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a neuropathy brought about by the entrapment and compression of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel. The hallmark of classic CTS is pain or paraesthesia (numbness, burning, or tingling) in the palmar aspect of the first 3 digits, as well as the radial aspect of the fourth digit. Although idiopathic in nature, many risk factors have been attributed to the development of CTS. These factors include diabetes mellitus, acromegaly, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy, the use of steroids, and the repetitive use of hand and wrist. The prevalence also seems to be higher in obese women. In literature, trauma, foreign body, tumors, or anatomical variations are considered to be infrequent causes of CTS. A rare form of CTS is the acute carpal tunnel syndrome (ACTS) that presents mainly after injuries to the upper extremities. The patient typically acknowledges trauma to the wrist secondary to a foreign body at the time of injury. In some cases, small fragments may penetrate the wrist and remain unnoticed causing acute neurological symptoms. In literature, there were limited studies that reported the development of ACTS secondary to missed foreign bodies following trauma. This report presents a case of ACTS sustained following a penetrating foreign body (pellet) to the right wrist. Removal of the foreign body resulted in complete recovery with no neurological sequelae.

Of Grim Witches and Showy Lady-Devils: Wealthy Women in Literature and Film

Imagining super rich women in the real and fictional world has long been a struggle. Those few depictions that do exist are scattered across time periods and literary genres, reflecting the legal restrictions that, at different points in time, would not allow women to accumulate assets independent of the patriarchal forces in their lives. The scarcity of extremely wealthy women in literature and film is confirmed by Forbes magazine’s list of the fifteen richest fictional characters that features forty different fictional men and only nine women, with never more than two female characters nominated in a single year. This article explores the depiction of three exceptionally wealthy women: Cruella de Vil in The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956) by Dodie Smith, Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (1861) by Charles Dickens, and the figure of the stepmother in various adaptations of “Cinderella.” I demonstrate how the protagonists’ wealth allows them to manipulate others and disconnect themselves from patriarchal and societal expectations. Further, I argue that these affluent antagonists are “rogued” by their respective narratives, highlighting their perceived anti-feminine and emasculating behaviour resulting in a mode of narration that greedily gazes at and shames their appearances and supposed unattractiveness. While this genealogy of rich rogues reiterates the narrow scope of imagining wealthy women on the page and on the screen, there are moments in the narratives that disrupt stereotypical depictions of these wealthy characters who defy the labels imposed on them.

Penser la place des femmes sur la scène littéraire. Stratégies de légitimation

<p>In the line of recent studies (Reid, 2010; Planté, 2003), this contribution deals with the place of the feminine authors in the French literary canon and with the status of author. This political question also raises questions about the corpus’ construction of the classics of the literature which are taught and serve as references in literary studies. If women represent approximately 50 % of the world’s population, they are far from proportionally representing in literature. Thus, the scarcity of women in Literary History will be at the center of our preoccupation, and we will endeavor to show how societies have influenced the representation of women in literature, and how feminine authors have denunced the image of inequalities between men and women in their works.</p>