Literary Review of Sexuality and Gender in Science Fiction Literature

The feminist movement lays claim to a history of both victorious struggle and violent controversy. As women fought for equality with men in the early twentieth century, literature was inspired by this movement. Modernist writers used their artform to provide social commentary in similar ways to realistic writers of the nineteenth century. However, modernist thought allows a much more obvious agenda to be presented through literature. Mina Loy, in “Feminist Manifesto,” and Susan Glaspell, in “Trifles,” both used their respective writings to convey personal opinions on the women’s movement and the relationship between men and women. Though this similarity places them in the same category of modernism, the two differ in their writings

Haney-Peritz attributes this to it being, “unreadable in its own time because neither men nor women readers had access to a tradition of shared context which would have made the “female meaning” of the text clear” (122). However, in 1973, “the story’s feminist thrust” (113) was illuminated and these key ideas that embody a feminist story are examined by Haney-Peritz.

There are many female writers, some known better than other. Female writes most of the time focused their stories in experiences or personal point of view on what is going on around them. Other women write fiction of unusual worlds and character that people can relate to with the struggle or experiences. Margaret Atwood the “Canadian nationalist poetess is a prominebt figure concerned with the need for a new language to explore relations between subjects and society“ (Omid, Pyeaam 1). Atwood wrote her first novel called, “The Edible Woman”; this first novel categorized her as feminist, based on the main character of a strong woman. In an interview with Emma Brockes, Atwood affirms, "First of all, what is feminism? Second, which branch of

When on the topic of feminist writing, understanding the time period in which the author’s writing takes place persists as vastly important. Historically speaking, western culture follows a model thoroughly dominated by men. That commonality remains

During the 20th century, the women’s rights movement changed the role of women in society for the better, causing a change in the traditional gender roles that culture dictated before the turn of the century. Women won the right to vote in 1919, which was a major turning point in the respect of women as equal members of society as compared to men. In addition to this newfound right, women also took steps to become part of the work force rather than stay home and raise the children like traditional housewives of the time. This sudden interest was sparked by the two major wars that were fought during the 20th century, each causing women to feel that it was their duty to fill in for men while they were fighting for our country. Another significant feature of this time period was the exploration of sexuality for women, especially in the case of determining whether or not a woman was a lesbian. Given these issues, John Dos Passos and Patricia Highsmith both wrote novels that touched on the issues of being a woman during the 20th century and the certain rights that one had as a woman in society. In their respective works, Dos Passos and Highsmith explore the view of women through the characters of Janey and Therese Belivet, which portrays the distinct nature of women that are defying the traditional gender norms of the time.

There are two major female authors in science fiction , Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin, that have impacted the ideas of feminism without being fully aware of their actions. In addition to these authors, a women named Simone de Beauvior had a large impact on the second feminism wave despite the fact that her influential work had been published two decades before the second wave. This is an evident pattern for these three women, even though they did not have the intention to write influential feminist work, they did so successfully. One of the most impacting ideas came from De Beauvior, who uses the terms the One and the Other to define the overall problem; the One being the ruling group, or men at this time and the Other consisting of the group being ruled, who were women. This very setup is used powerfully, especially science fiction writing. In this essay, science fiction stories consisting of these ideas will be analyzed. First, a story of how women were defined, to prove the problem occurring during the second wave of feminism. Then, move to the two authors who influenced the second wave without being aware of the effects their story would have on society.

A common theme that can be seen in feminist literature is that a woman’s identity is defined by the patriarchal culture of the era as well as the men in their lives. This theme can be seen through pieces such as “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “My Ringless Fingers on the Steering Wheel Tell the Story” by Laura Boss, and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.

However, SF uniquely rewrites the narrative “from the unexpected and ‘alien’ perspective” (Wolmark 54). Readers are able to reshape their expectations of patriarchal norms due to the unfamiliar elements provided by SF narratives. It is necessary that authors retain recognizable social structures (Wolmark 55). SF is able to present alternatives that re-construct gender roles, rather than mimic them. Cognitive dissonance provides a new context for individuals to re-evaluate normative gender roles. With the introduction of different alien races, time travel, or strange, new technologies provides instability to the narrative (Wolmark 55). This instability provides momentum for re-constructing conventional gender roles and relations. While SF narratives tend to be able to effectively redefine and combat hegemonic standards, it is important to consider how the genre can inspire change in the real

I have, until this point in this course, complained that, with few exceptions, Science Fiction as a genre never seems to quite reach a critical mass where it can achieve breakaway-velocity and leave its rather conservative orbit of binary gender (and heteronormativity) behind. There seems to have been many times when the genre has tiptoed close to the edge of gender-binarism (for instance, in its sub-genre of feminist utopias), only to scurry away from the assumed precipice and remain firmly ensconced in the supposed safety of Man/Woman-Masculine/Feminine dichotomies. Brian Attbery’s “Decoding Gender” finally takes us over that supped cliff – or at least peers over its precipice – to speak upon Science Fiction’s potential to imagine – even predict/produce – life beyond a gender binary. Given my own research in gender identity development and deployment, I found his work to be both a sometimes-frustrating primer on the social construction of gender and at the same time fascinating deconstructive study of gender and in turn science fiction.

It is not just the feminism of gender, it is also about racial and ethnic equality, equal capacity, gender, spirituality, class, and all the signs that define one of us. As we see the feminist novel deals not only with what we are, but also with our ways of living. The narrative nucleus in this novel revolves around the concerns of women, their stories and the lives of women. It is unlikely that there will be a consensus on what makes a novel

A woman's role in society is ever-changing. For many year's women were subjected to strict societal norms, ideals and were defined by the male figures in their lives. Gender roles and relations still make themselves apparent in society's perpetuating inequality, whether through traditional beliefs adapted over the years or societal norms embedded into all aspects of life, including literature. As time passes, women have striven to set their own standards and are now able to stand unapologetically tall in society. Many different factors have aided in allowing women to rebel and evolve against conformity, one significant element being literature. More specifically, literature that breaks barriers for women in allowing their portrayal to defy degrading roles and literature that brings the expectations of women in society to light.

Feminism is based on the assumption that women have the same human, political and social rights as men, furthermore, that women should have the same opportunities as men in their personal choices regarding careers, politics and expression. A feminist text states the author’s agenda for women in society as they relate to oppression by a patriarchal power structure and the subsequent formation of social ‘standards’ and ‘protocols’. A feminist text will be written by a woman, and it will point out deficiencies in society regarding equal opportunity, and the reader will typically be aware of this motive. In a work of fiction, the main character, or heroine,

Joan Scott (Gender and the Politics of History/Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis) and Judith Butler (Gender as Performance and Performativity) are two influential feminist scholars who have chimed in on the debates about how gender should be used. Joan Scott is a Feminist historian and author this area of study and Judith Butler is a philosopher and one of the most challenging influencers in feminist, queer, and literary theories. They are both theorists; someone who considers given facts and comes up with a possible explanation. Theorists observe various phenomena and use reasoning to come up with practical ideas that must be proven. Theorists come up with abstract ideas and then spend their lives trying to prove them. However,

Ardis, Ann L., and Inc Netlibrary. New Women, New Novels : Feminism and Early Modernism. New Brunswick [N.J.]: New Brunswick N.J. : Rutgers UP, 1990. Print.

While many literary critics chose to analyze literature in perspective of the human psyche, others chose to take a more direct route and specifically target the female perspective of literature. Throughout history, there has been a recurring prominence of gender standards in society, and unfortunately these standards have been known for depicting women as an inferior race. Patriarchal societies, or civilizations where culture is dominated by men, have been considered to be the societal norm to the point where ill and unfair treatment of women often goes without notice or even any regard. Action to acknowledge and counteract this treatment came in the form of a social movement known as feminism.