User:Alexb99.ab24091999/Gender novels

= Gender Novels =

Introduction
A gender novel is a type of novel that features gender, or the concept of gender, as a central theme to the plot or idea of the novel. The concept of gender may be used to initiate debate regarding gender stereotypes, gender equality or the reversal of genders within books. This term can be used as a synonym for gendered fiction. Gender novels also may be categorised not only under the genre of gendered fiction but crime, fantasy, science-fiction and drama. Key features of a gender novel always includes the plot, characters or context somehow play with the concept of gender. This may be the inclusion of transgender or androgynous characters, the development of gender focused conflicts throughout the novel or a setting in which gender may or may not be a framework for societies to function. Usually gender novels are used to respond to contemporary issues within societies in regards to the perception of gender in the world. They can also be used to express sentiments or arguments relating to the disagreement regarding the concept of gender. Famous gender novels include Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Many of these gender novels have been critically acclaimed for their groundbreaking theories surrounding gender roles. Gender novels, as a contemporary genre, has its foundations in the late 1940s, with the work of Simone De Bouvoir, specifically her novel, The Second Sex, being thought of as the first analytic novel that was essentially preoccupied with gender. Later on in the 21st century, the works of Jeffrey Eugenides, Jeff Garvin and Jessica Herthel re-evaluated outdated gender-related theories and shed light on new post revisionist hypotheses.

Gender history up until the 19th century
Gender throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th century all over the world was very set in stone. Women were required to wear, act and behave a certain way both in public and in the private home. Life back then was extremely patriarchal, with opportunities, power and respect reserved for men only. In the 17th century, women played a significant role through primarily domestic activities such as taking on the responsibilities of being a chef, cleaner, counsellor, wife, mother and seamstress. Women were discouraged from expressing their opinion with things relating to politics, money and other contemporary issues. [1] Due to their overall submissive role, most literature that was produced during this time was very patriarchal, and heavily featured men, their journeys and their achievements. Such examples include the works of Voltaire, Alexander Pope and Jonathon Swift, whom all published works that focused mainly on the role of men in the world.

During the 18th century, women were still seen as the far more submissive sex, however the beginning of the cultural revolution in Britain brought about changes to the roles of women. Women were now more frequently assisting their husbands in work, and even began having a better access to education. Despite this, women were still taught to behave in a certain way. Despite the cultural revolution, women were still victims of both economic and social discrimination. Their career choices were still restricted to marriage, motherhood, nursing or teaching. However, women their primary role was seen as being childbearers and wives.[2] Literature however, still primarily focused on men, which still reflects society’s rigid construct of gender. Despite this, works such as John Dryden’s prose Absalom and Achitophel have depicted an18th century perception of masculinity and the role of women, which can be thought of as one of the first important ‘gendered texts’ to exist.[3]

Despite the fact that the 19th century brought about romanticism in literature, it was still a period in time where women were oppressed, especially socially. Women weren’t as valued as men, which is shown through the literature that was written by Mary Virginia Terhine,w who was an American novelist during the 19th century. She wrote of the suppression of and inferior public attitude towards women, in which she says, that to a man, “women are…valued according to the amount of hard usage she will endure." She follows this with the quote stating that women are to be “treasured in a windowed cabinet.” Here, we get some of the first feminist writings, which reflect the gradual uprising against the patriarchy during the late 19th and early 20th century.[4]

Gender history in the 20th Century
The 20th century was a significant time period of change and growth across the world. This is reflected in the emergence of gender novels during this time period, the most important being Simone De Bouvoir’s The Second Sex, Ursula Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. All of these gender novels shed light on new concepts regarding the gender construct and revisioned new theories surrounding what gender actually means and how it impacts the human person.

De Bouvoir’s work, The Second Sex was published first in 1949, and across 978 pages and two volumes, detailed Bouvoir’s personal, (some would say feminist) thoughts regarding gender’s place in the world. In her gender novel, she plays with the notion that “he is the Subject…she is the Other,” which framed the concept of gender in terms of a master-slave relationship. Bouvoir also heavily discusses the notion of transcendence, in which she places in the context of the role of women. This idea is examined through the example of women progressing to an authoritarian position in the workforce, where she would be seen as transcending from her gender construct too much. Interestingly, Bouvoir also states that “We judge institutions from the point of view of the concrete opportunities they give to individuals,” which sheds light on the fact that she believes genders are constructed from birth, eg. Painting girls’ walls pink and boys’ walls blue. People now dress in such a way that they embody a gender. As Bouvoir states, “one is not born, but rather becomes, woman.”[5] This book is very much a foundational feminist text, and therefore a foundational gender novel that rethinks and reinterprets the way in which gender ought to be understood.