Beverley Steichen
English 600-Dr. Stacey
Critique and questions on Pope’s Feminism/ Gender/ etc.
I did not take issue with much of Pope’s overview of feminism. I did note several places where he allowed for the more up-to-date views of alternate genders and sexualities (119 top). I can see that his views that some stereotyping is valid would bother many feminists that I know, but I did not disagree with these views. In my experience there are many stereotypes which seem valid, but should never be used to confine or dictate behavior. The top of p. 116 is misleading if not immediately preceded by the paragraph on the bottom of page 115. Pope is not claiming as his own, or even endorsing the gender stereotypes listed on 116, but is simply indicating that they exist and in fact are contested by modern thinkers, especially feminist theorists perhaps.
His views seemed to be possibly a bit weak in the area of social and literary agency and empowerment of women and focus more on the 60s/ 70s idea of equality for women.
Is the contemporary feminist view about feminism and literature that all lit from all eras should be re-evaluated under a feminist lens?
If so, does it follow that the reviews will be correct evaluations of written work that was created in a time when socially accepted views were not what they are today?
About Me
- Beverley Steichen
- I am an English Instructor working on building my career while assisting my students with their futures. I am working on the fourth invention of my own wheel at this time. I have been a hometown girl in California's heartland and a hippie-mom in So.Cal's South Bay area. I have seen my four children reach adulthood as awesome, free-thinking individuals; I've also been a university student who enjoyed the feeling of being part of the learning community at Humboldt State University. I am still a mom, and a small-town girl, and an active member of my HSU colleague community, but I'm now in my dream job of teaching what I have learned to others. I love being a college English Instructor. To teach IS to do! Daily I see lights go on in my classes as students who are learning and growing gain greater awareness of the power of language!
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