EmbodimenofFeminisminLouisaMayAlco’s“LileWomen”_开题报告

          Embodiment of Feminism in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”

Literature Review 

   

  With the first volume published in 1868 and the second volume in 1869, Louisa May Alcott gave the readers of the era with a coming-of-age novel that traces the lives of the March sisters, Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg, over the course of their growth from children to women.  The central character in “Little Women” is Jo. With her, the struggle against the stereotypes imposed by gender becomes most apparent as she strains against the norm and the female mold that are dictated by her society (Greene, 2000). The tomboy, who wants to be a male, has her own mind. She has ideas of how women can play their role in society, even if it runs incongruent with her social placement.  

Until today,  critics from home and abroad still think highly of this the novel, with great interests.They study and analyze the novel from various perspectives to reveal the novel's unique literary glamor. Some critics study from the social background. For example, Xu Jie (2010), from the angle of  traditional American culture, discussed under the different cultural backgrounds in the United States, including the 19th-century American social revolution, puritanism, Transcendentalism and feminism, why "little women” was so popular in the female readers. Some critics  study the novel by analyzing the main characters. The development of the main characters pushed the development  pushes that of the whole novel. Chen You Fang and Chen Fang(2008),  from the perspective of patriarchy，analyzed the female development in the novel. In the novel, the main character, Jo, at the very beginning, has already realized the social restriction posed on her. She desired to break the male monopoly society and be an independent woman. Jo realized that she can not be a woman that the society wanted, so she refused the proposal of a rich man and finally got marry to a professor. As a wife, she was not submissive but equally shared the family burden as her husband. In readers’ mind, Jo is a real ‘ little woman’. Based on the two kinds perspectives discussed above, some critics, like Yang Xiao(2008) combined both puritanism and feminism to analyze the main characters’ honesty. There was a big conflict between puritanism and feminism. By such kind of comparison,  the honesty showed on the four sisters  deeply touched all the readers' heart. Especially, the female readers are likely to think about, as a female, how to define themselves in the society. In addition, The study can also be conducted from the  angle of writing itself. Liu Chun Ying (2001),  from the aesthetics and philosophy, writing art and literature value were discussed and analyzed. 

 “Little Women” also offered an opportunity for feminist critics to assess the variable of gender in the light of female value in terms of their relationships with one another, individual and collective experiences, creativity, intellect, and the power they have should they resist norm and convention   In “Little Women,” the old portrayal of girls as nice, perfect, and paragons of conformity gives way to real female beings that are far removed from being perfection models (SilverSeason, 2012). In the novel, girls define and determine their own true natures. Their characters are not defined by the males in the narrative and in society. Alcott erased the stereotypes of women as being either strictly good or bad. She defied patriarchal stereotyping. For instance, Jo recognizes that money means power. She wants the money for her family, but also wants the power for herself.  “Little Women” also talks about sisterhood, a coming together of kindred spirits in spite of their differences. It is in respect of the female individuality yet unity in protecting one another’s interest and preserving the female circle of sisterhood (Semigran, 2014). Collective female interest is a feminist theme. In Laire (2008-2009), it is stated that Alcott created new and real characters of the female gender that are different from previous representations of women in fiction. That alone is a feminist move because the author expanded the depth and girth of the female world and told of possible new opportunities for girls and women. For her, women can be educated, have their own careers, and choose to be more than being housewives. “Little Women” also talks about opposing forces when resistance is seen in the light of expected subservience, as well as rebellion as seen in the light of prescribed conformity (Alberghene and Clark, 1999). For Alcott, women can actually express their individualities away from the mold and norms of the times.  Hence, Alcott wrote a book on gender and the feminist struggle.

  This thesis will,  on the basis of previous studies, has a further discussion about  the characters in the novel from the perspective of feminism. It forwards the idea that Louisa May Alcott’s 19th-century novel “Little Women” is feminist literature taken in the context of its particular feminist era. To justify this proposed research project and indicate its difference from already published studies, it proposes that feminist literature is a product of its times and that the novel is feminist in the context of the feminist thought of the 19th century. To do justice to analyzing Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” against the feminist theoretical backdrop, there is a need to isolate its discussion within the context of the 19th century. If it continues to be analyzed in the context of feminism as a whole, and this generally reflects modern feminist thought, we are missing the benefit of the noble efforts of one of the earliest feminist writers in history. There is a risk of issuing general statements on feminism, and that is counter-intuitive to the nuances of the movement. 

references

[1] 陈友放， 陈静. 十九世纪美国父权主义下的女性成长——《小妇人》中乔的成长历程评析[J]. 时代文学.2008. 20.

[2] 路易莎·梅·奥尔科特. 小妇人[M].金晓非,译. 北京:北京燕山出版社.2006.

[3] 徐 洁.美国文化传统在小妇人中的体现[J]. 湖北广播电视大学学报.2010. 7.

[4] 杨 潇.忠诚的天使“从清教主义与新女性主义的冲突中分析” [J]. 重庆职业 技术学院学报.2008 (11). 

[5]刘春英. 路易莎·梅·奥尔科特和小妇人[J].暨南大学学报. 2001.1.

[6] Alberghene, J. and Clark, B., ed. Little Women and the Feminist Imagination: Criticism, Controversy, Personal Essays[M]. New York and London: Garland. 1999: 496 pages.

[7] Greene, J. A Woman's Legacy: An Analysis of Feminist Themes in the Work of Louisa May Alcott[J]. University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects. (2000). ://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/383/ (Accessed 2016/Sept/26)

[8] Laire, D. Little Women: A Feminist Study[Z],  Masteral dissertation. Ghent University. ://lib.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/001/366/158/RUG01-001366158_2010_0001_AC.pdf/ 2008-2009. (Accessed 2016/Sept/26)

[9] Semigran, R. 5 Reasons ‘Little Women’ is Vital for Every Budding Feminist[Z], Bustle. ://.bustle.com/articles/54833-5-reasons-little-women-is-vital-for-every-budding-feminist/. 2012.  (Accessed 2016/Sept/26)

[10] SilverSeason. Little Women – Feminist Novel?[Z], A Year of Feminist Classics. s://feministclassics.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/little-women-feminist-novel/. 2012. (Accessed 2016/Sept/26)

Paper Outline

for 

Feminism in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”

1. Introduction 

    Louisa May Alcott and “Little Women”

1.1 Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” is feminist literature

Research Methodology

Limitations of Research

2. Feminism

      

            2.1. Feminism as a Cultural Theory 

2.2. Feminist Literature

2.3. The Feminist Novel 

2.4. “Little Women” as Feminist Literature

3. Feminist Literature and the Feminist Movement of the 19th Century

3.1. 19th Century American Feminism

3.2. 19th Century American Feminist Literature

4. Feminist Novelist Louisa May Alcott and the Feminist Movement of the 19th Century

4.1. Feminist Struggle of Louisa May Alcott

4.2. Feminist Influence of Louisa May Alcott

5. Conclusion

5.1. Thesis restated

5.2. Summary (proving three arguments)

5.2.1. Feminist literature is a driver of the feminist movement.

5.2.2. The feminist writer is an influence in feminist culture.  

5.2.3. Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” is feminist literature

5.3. Concluding Statement