Everyone of us is concerned with the process of aging. As soon as we are born, our body starts to grow older and with the years it becomes visibly more and more. Aging is the natural course of life but in our society it often seems to be an uncomfortable subject to talk about.
Although the situation of the elderly has improved throughout the last years, older people are often neglected and marginalized by society. They are often associated with negative images like being helpless, rigid and useless.
The study of aging is very complex and can be examined from many perspectives, for example from a biological, a sociological, or a psychological point of view.
This paper focuses on aging in literature, especially in the writings of Canadian women authors, in which old age is a relatively new subject.
The aim of this paper is to point out how Canadian women writers deal with the topic of old age, especially that of women, and what kind of image about old age they want to transmit through their stories. Are they depicting old women in stereotypical ways or do they try to reveal and change those stereotypes?
The novels that will be discussed here, are Margaret Laurence’s The Stone Angel (1964), Joan Barfoot’s Duet for Three (1985), and The Widows (1998) by Suzette Mayr.
Before analyzing different aspects of aging in these novels, it will be useful to have a look at the social construction of age.
Afterwards, I will explore different issues of aging that play important roles in the novels and also in our society.
Starting with the aspect of physical aging and the impact it has on the different female characters, the second point will analyze the relationships of grandmothers and granddaughters.
Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how the authors deal with the widespread negative images of nursing homes and the fear that is often associated with those places.
Finally, this paper will explore the representation of sexuality in the novels. How are older people depicted in terms of sexual relationships? Are they really as asexual as many people think or is this one of many misperceptions about old people?
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF AGE
3. OLD WOMEN IN CANADIAN LITERATURE: THE STONE ANGEL, DUET FOR THREE AND THE WIDOWS
3.1 THE AGING BODY
3.2 THE RELATIONSHIP OF GRANDMOTHERS AND GRANDDAUGHTERS
3.3 THE FEAR OF NURSING HOMES
3.4 OLD WOMEN AND SEXUALITY
4. CONCLUSION
5. LITERATURE
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the representation of aging in contemporary Canadian women's literature, specifically analyzing how authors challenge or reinforce societal stereotypes associated with the elderly. The central research question explores whether these narratives depict aging women through clichéd lenses or if they actively reveal and deconstruct prevalent misconceptions regarding identity, bodily decline, and social perception.
- Social construction of aging and its impact on female identity
- Physical changes and the psychological struggle with self-perception
- Intergenerational dynamics between grandmothers and granddaughters
- The cultural fear and negative associations regarding nursing homes
- Reassessing sexuality and desire in older age
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The Aging Body
The first visible sign of growing older is the changing of our body. The skin loses its elasticity and gets more wrinkles, the hair becomes gray and thinner, and the body becomes less erect. The older people get the more changes there are. Some might lose their teeth, gain body fat and lose muscle strength. With the process of aging, bones become more brittle and more easily broken and the immune system decreases in its efficiency. The old women in the novels are also faced with bodily changes and nearly all of them criticize their physical form and cannot cope with the fact that they are growing old.
Especially Hagar and Aggie struggle with their aging bodies and they are not able to reconcile themselves with the images they find reflected in the mirror. In From old Woman to older Women Sally Chivers notes that “older characters frequently look in the mirror expecting to find the younger manifestation about which they have been daydreaming and are shocked to find an old person’s image staring back” (2003: 2f). One of Hagar’s first self-encounters takes place in a public restroom.
Chapter Summaries
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the complex nature of aging and defines the paper’s focus on the representation of elderly women in three specific Canadian novels.
2. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF AGE: Analyzes the sociological perspectives on aging, highlighting the transition from honoring the elderly to the modern glorification of youth and negative stereotyping.
3. OLD WOMEN IN CANADIAN LITERATURE: THE STONE ANGEL, DUET FOR THREE AND THE WIDOWS: Discusses the literary treatment of aging through the protagonists of the three selected novels.
3.1 THE AGING BODY: Explores how female protagonists struggle to reconcile their internal identity with the external physical changes of aging reflected in mirrors.
3.2 THE RELATIONSHIP OF GRANDMOTHERS AND GRANDDAUGHTERS: Examines the deep, often transformative bonds between the older protagonists and their granddaughters, serving as a remedy for past familial conflicts.
3.3 THE FEAR OF NURSING HOMES: Investigates the pervasive fear and negative cultural associations linked to institutional care as experienced by the characters.
3.4 OLD WOMEN AND SEXUALITY: Challenges the myth of the asexual elderly by analyzing the sexual agency and desires of the protagonists in the selected texts.
4. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the authors succeed in replacing one-dimensional stereotypes with nuanced and realistic portrayals of older women.
5. LITERATURE: Lists the primary and secondary sources utilized in the research.
Keywords
Aging, Canadian Literature, Women's Identity, Literary Gerontology, The Stone Angel, Duet for Three, The Widows, Margaret Laurence, Joan Barfoot, Suzette Mayr, Nursing Homes, Grandmotherhood, Sexuality, Social Stereotypes, Physical Aging
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the portrayal of aging in Canadian literature, specifically investigating how female authors address the identities and societal roles of older women.
Which specific novels are analyzed in this study?
The study focuses on Margaret Laurence’s 'The Stone Angel', Joan Barfoot’s 'Duet for Three', and Suzette Mayr’s 'The Widows'.
What is the primary objective of the author?
The objective is to determine whether these writers present aging women through stereotypical imagery or if they actively work to subvert and redefine those perceptions.
What methodology is applied to the literary works?
The analysis utilizes a literary and sociological approach, drawing on theories of gerontology to examine character development and themes like bodily change, intergenerational relationships, and sexuality.
What key aspects of aging are discussed in the main body?
The main body treats physical aging, the connection between generations (grandmothers and granddaughters), the fear of nursing homes, and the sexuality of older women.
Which concepts are essential for understanding this work?
Central concepts include the social construction of age, literary gerontology, intergenerational bonds, the mirror image in self-perception, and the destigmatization of elderly sexuality.
How does the author characterize the role of the mirror?
The mirror is described as a painful site of dissonance, where characters struggle to reconcile their vibrant internal identities with the aged reflection that society forces them to accept.
Why is the theme of sexuality explored in the context of older women?
The paper explores this to counter the widespread societal myth that older people, especially women, are inherently asexual and devoid of desire.
How is the relationship between grandmothers and granddaughters presented?
These relationships are depicted as transformative, often allowing the older women to achieve a sense of fulfillment or reconciliation that they were unable to attain in their primary roles as mothers or wives.
Does the paper suggest that nursing homes are purely negative symbols?
The paper highlights that while nursing homes are culturally feared as places of uniformity and loss of autonomy, authors use these settings to critique how society treats the elderly.
- Quote paper
- Corinna Thömen (Author), 2005, Old Women in Canadian Literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/74435
