This book is basically a going back to the roots of female writing at the beginning of the 20th century. Although female characters by then had found a fixed place within the English speaking novel most of them represented the classical role of women within class ridden British society where women basically speaking had an inferior role to men, culturally, socially and academically.
The early beginnings of female writing in the sense of a more feminist approach can be set before and after the First World War. This goes for the British, the American and - as in the case here - also for the colonial background. The first female feminist writers were pioneers in the sense that they broke with traditional gender roles and thus challenged the anti-female reality of Western and Islamic societies.
Begum Rokheya Sakhawat Hossain's book Sultana's Dream (1905) and Charlotte Perkin's science fiction concept of a female society must therefore be taken as frontrunners of modern feminist thinking and writing and as a criticism of existing male structures which considered the female to be below the male. It goes without saying that Sultana's Dream is the more radical approach to describe a world without men since the author herself was much more stuck within an anti-female surrounding and the book would never ever have been published without the tolerant husband of the author who supported his wife in her writing.
Thus the choice to use the dream as a basic narrative background enabled the author to move around more freely.
Herland (1909) on the contrary uses classical parts like the utopian mixed with science fiction elements. Although both novels must be seen against their specific background - here Western, there Islamic - they do have one major element in common. The talk is about the idea of a world where the female reigns and which is more human than its male counterpart. This includes social criticism as well as a cultural and religious one and the hope that in the long run both forces, the female and the male, could live in more harmony than in the past, be it in the West or the East.
Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. Preface
3. Preface: Sultana's Dream (1905) and Herland (1909)
4. Dream in English Literature
5. The Utopian Novel
6. Close Analysis of Sultana's Dream
7. Conclusion: Sultana’s Dream
8. Close Analysis of Herland
9. Outlook
10. Bibliography
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This work examines the roots of early 20th-century feminist literature through a comparative analysis of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s Sultana’s Dream and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland. It explores how both authors utilized utopian and science fiction elements to critique patriarchal structures, colonial legacies, and traditional gender roles within their respective Islamic and Western cultural contexts.
- The role of the dream as a narrative device in early feminist writing.
- Comparative analysis of female societal constructs in Islamic and Western literatures.
- Critique of patriarchal structures and traditional family-orientated gender roles.
- The significance of utopian fiction as a tool for social and religious criticism.
- Intersections between feminist literature and Postcolonial studies.
Excerpt from the Book
6. Close Analysis of Sultana's Dream
Sultana's Dream was first published in 1905 in magazines before it came out as a book in 1908. The author Begum Rokheya Sakhawat Hossain is popularly known as Begum Rokeya (1880-1932) and is considered to be the pioneer of female emancipation in India. She is considered to be the first outstanding female Bengali Muslim writer.
Sultana's Dream is close to other books of female writers in those days mostly coming from a Western background. Most critics relate it to Man's Rights (1870) by Annie Denton Cridge, Mizora by Mary E. Bradley (1881), Arqtiq by Anna Adolph (1899) and the novel closely analysed here Herland (1905) by Charlotte Gilman. It is important, however, to point out that all these Western novels must be seen against the Suffrage movement of the early 20th century.
Sultana's Dream on the contrary has to be looked upon from three aspects, first from Islam, a patriarchal society and British colonial rule because - even today - many critics in Postcolonialism (rightly) see a connection of the exploitation of the female body by men in connection to the exploitation of the colonies.
Summary of Chapters
1. Abstract: Provides an overview of early 20th-century feminist writing and introduces the authors as pioneers who challenged anti-female structures.
2. Preface: Introduces the intentions of the study, emphasizing the revolutionary nature of presenting female worlds in opposition to male-structured reality.
3. Preface: Sultana's Dream (1905) and Herland (1909): Contextualizes both novels within the historical transition from pre-modern to modern literature and the specific colonial/patriarchal challenges faced by the authors.
4. Dream in English Literature: Explores the symbolic use of the dream as a narrative device for representing inner life and gender issues within the English-speaking novel.
5. The Utopian Novel: Defines the utopian genre and its function as a tool for political, cultural, and religious criticism.
6. Close Analysis of Sultana's Dream: Provides a detailed reading of Hossain's text, focusing on the concepts of 'Ladyland', the critique of the purdah, and the reversal of gender roles in an Indian context.
7. Conclusion: Sultana’s Dream: Summarizes the impact of the book as a radical critique of Indian stereotypes and its foundational role for subsequent feminist Muslim writers.
8. Close Analysis of Herland: Analyzes Gilman's work, focusing on themes like parthenogenesis, motherhood, education, and the symbolic reversal of gender traits.
9. Outlook: Synthesizes the common elements between the two works, highlighting their contribution to Feminist and Postcolonial literary theory.
10. Bibliography: Lists the primary and secondary sources used in the research.
Keywords
Feminism, Utopian Novel, Sultana's Dream, Herland, Begum Rokeya, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Patriarchal Structure, Postcolonial Studies, Gender Roles, Science Fiction, Muslim Literature, Female Emancipation, Narrative Identity, Education, Motherhood
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The work focuses on the beginnings of 20th-century feminist writing by comparing Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's Sultana's Dream and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the radical critique of patriarchal societies, the use of utopian settings to re-imagine gender roles, the role of education, and the intersection of feminism with colonial and religious contexts.
What is the core research objective?
The aim is to demonstrate how both authors, despite their different cultural backgrounds (Islamic and Western), used utopian fiction to advocate for female equality and challenge male-dominated power structures.
What methodology is applied in this study?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis, examining the narratives against historical, cultural, and political frameworks, specifically linking them to post-structuralist and postcolonial literary theories.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body offers detailed close readings of both novels, exploring narrative devices like the 'dream' and the 'utopia', and investigates specific elements such as motherhood, religion, and social organization in the depicted female societies.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Feminism, Utopian Fiction, Postcolonialism, Gender Roles, and Female Emancipation.
How does Hossain's portrayal of 'Ladyland' differ from Gilman's 'Herland'?
While both present female-run societies, Hossain's work is specifically rooted in the critique of the Islamic purdah system and colonial constraints, whereas Gilman focuses more on American societal development, eugenics, and motherhood as a social construct.
What significance does the 'dream' narrative serve in Hossain's work?
The dream acts as a vital stylistic tool that allows the author to bypass realistic social restrictions and move freely through an imaginary world where women hold the authority, thereby heightening the satirical critique of her real-world environment.
- Citation du texte
- Dr. Matthias Dickert (Auteur), 2016, The Utopian Concept of the Female in East and West. A Critical Comparison of “Sultana's Dream” (1905) and “Herland” (1909), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/323697
