Focusing on gender as a fundamental category of analysis makes it necessary to have a look on either side, on women as authors and women as readers. It cannot be denied that female authors have another relationship to their language, they have different vocabulary and use it in different kinds of sentences than their male colleagues. For years, this has been the reason, why women´s writing has always been regarded as naiv or intuitive, hence it were masculine norms which were used as traditional generic classifications.
It was not until the feminist movement, that women´s writings were not undervalued any longer. The women fighting for their suffragette had become aware of the dangerous stereotypes, which male authors described in their books, and the resulting misrepresentation of female life and work.
Consequently, it became necessary to develop an alternative scheme of literary criticism, in which social ideologies and practices are addressed as well as is the way, those ideologies and practices form women’s writing.
Unfortunately, the first feminist critics adopted merely the maxims of male literary criticism and looked at texts with a female perspective; they re-examined male texts which showed the way women were often represented according to social, cultural and ideological norms, eager to find female images, stereotypes and misconceptions. The fact that complex texts permit a variety of alternative readings and interpretations was simply neglected. The early feminist critics were thus on the same one-way-road as had been their male counterparts for many years, and confronted with the issue of reconciling the pluralist approaches.
However, the second-wave feminism of the 1960s won feminist criticism more recognition and women writers like Virginia Woolf, Kate Millett or Margaret Atwood made literary criticism an integral part of the feminist struggle, offering a multiplicity of feminist approaches. Hence, it is not only the text which is investigated in, but also the female authors who have become the subject of further investigation. The focus now is put on the study of women as writers, their personal history, their individual styles, themes, genres and structures. In order to grant a more thorough differentiation, modern feminist criticism is built on four main pillars: the study of biological, linguistic, psychoanalytic and cultural differences as opposed to male writing.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 On Feminist Analysis
2. Feminist Analysis of Janet Frame´s Owls Do Cry and Living in the Maniototo
2.1 Biological Aspects: The Use of Female Images
2.2 Linguistic Analysis: Leaving the Protective Womb
2.3 Psychoanalytic Analysis
2.4.1 Cultural Background
2.4.2 Scrutinising J.Frame´s Cultural Background
3. Feminist Literary Criticism in the Future
Objectives and Core Topics
This work aims to provide a comprehensive feminist analysis of Janet Frame's novels Owls Do Cry and Living in the Maniototo, exploring how gender, language, and cultural context shape the narrative and the female experience within her writing.
- The role of female imagery and biological metaphors in Frame's prose.
- Linguistic challenges faced by female authors and the development of alternative modes of expression.
- Psychoanalytic perspectives on gender identity, socialisation, and patriarchal oppression.
- The impact of cultural history and the author’s personal background on literary production.
- Future trajectories for feminist literary criticism and the necessity of multi-methodological approaches.
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2.1 BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS: THE USE OF FEMALE IMAGES
Janet Frame makes frequent use of the female body as a source of imagery, the biological component plays an important role especially in her novel Owls Do Cry. It is already in the title that the reader has an oppressive feeling, caused by the image of the haunting owl. The immediate consequence which is implied with haunting predators is the search for protection and shelter, which is subsequently found in the cowslip´s bell - evidently a metaphor for the subliminal wish to return to the mother´s womb, to flee from the outer word.
Frame adopts and extends the image of shelter from the outer world in the opening description of the rubbish dump, “the children sat snuggled in the hollow of refuse”,1 symbolising again a protective womb which the children will have to leave when they grow up, providing a moral conflict for each of them. In order to depict how the protagonists find their individual solution to the moral conflict of either entering in the owl´s real world or denying reality and remaining in the cowslip´s bell, Frame uses repeatedly shell, crevices, pits, gaps, underneath mouths, or descriptions like obscene and magnified mouths and hollows.
The opening section, Daphne´s song, also contains first female imagery, as for example the pocket of my land and the carrot seed planted by her. However, neither the seed, nor the family, will grow to realise their potential, which is already implied in their surname: the Withers. Evidently, the environmental factors are uncongenial. The carrot seeds are used as a metaphor for the children´s life. As long as they are small, they are safe and protected, but as soon as they start to grow up and enter the outer world with its conventions, are they in threat.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the necessity of gender as a fundamental category for literary analysis and discusses the historical evolution of feminist perspectives in literature.
2. Feminist Analysis of Janet Frame´s Owls Do Cry and Living in the Maniototo: This main section applies various critical lenses—biological, linguistic, psychoanalytic, and cultural—to examine how Frame portrays the struggles of her protagonists.
2.1 Biological Aspects: The Use of Female Images: An investigation into Frame's use of body-related metaphors and domestic imagery to symbolise the desire for safety and the constraints of the outer world.
2.2 Linguistic Analysis: Leaving the Protective Womb: An analysis of how female writers overcome the limitations of a male-dominated language through poetic imagery and alternative narration.
2.3 Psychoanalytic Analysis: This chapter explores the psychological underpinnings of the characters' actions, specifically focusing on the impact of societal expectations versus individual desire for self-realization.
2.4.1 Cultural Background: A historical look at how culture influences women's lives, with a specific focus on the New Zealand context and the impacts of British colonial influence.
2.4.2 Scrutinising J.Frame´s Cultural Background: An examination of Janet Frame's personal life experiences, particularly her time in psychiatric institutions, and how they inform the thematic complexity of her novels.
3. Feminist Literary Criticism in the Future: A reflection on the changing nature of literary theory and the need for synthetic, multi-disciplinary approaches to understand minority writing.
Keywords
Feminist criticism, Janet Frame, Owls Do Cry, Living in the Maniototo, gender studies, postcolonial fiction, biological imagery, psychoanalysis, linguistic marginalisation, cultural background, New Zealand literature, patriarchal society, female authorship, literary theory, socialisation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work provides a critical feminist analysis of two specific novels by Janet Frame, examining them through diverse theoretical frameworks to understand the portrayal of female experience.
Which theoretical frameworks are used in the analysis?
The study employs a four-pillar approach: biological aspects, linguistic analysis, psychoanalytic theory, and an investigation into cultural and historical backgrounds.
What is the main goal of the research?
The primary goal is to demonstrate how modern feminist criticism can unveil the complex ways female authors navigate, challenge, or are suppressed by patriarchal structures and traditional language systems.
How is the research methodology defined?
The research is interdisciplinary, synthesising historical facts about New Zealand's gendered culture with close textual readings of Frame's novels and biographical insights into her creative process.
What does the main body of the text cover?
It covers the transition of protagonists from childhood to adulthood, the role of madness in society, the significance of metaphors like the "manifold" or the "cowslip's bell," and the link between personal biography and art.
What are the key defining terms of this analysis?
Key terms include feminist literary criticism, patriarchal society, female imagery, linguistic resistance, and cultural identity.
How does the author relate Daphne’s experience to Frame’s own biography?
The text draws parallels between Daphne’s institutionalisation and Frame's own life, suggesting that Frame uses these characters to accuse society of being intolerant toward those who differ from established norms.
What is the significance of the "Manifold" as a symbol?
In Living in the Maniototo, the manifold is interpreted as a symbol of female reproductive anatomy and a source of creative power, potentially representing a spiritual or infinite capacity for renewal.
- Citar trabajo
- Stephanie Helmer (Autor), 2000, Feminist Analysis of Janet Frame´s 'Owls do cry' and 'Living in the Maniototo' - A critical discussion, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/41164
