Artist Date

Literature Review

I.               Introduction

   I’m investigating three memoirs all by white causation females. Their books are about their transition to becoming feminists. I want to see if there is a universal experience to transitioning to a feminist, although, I am aware that personal experiences can be different for everyone. I feel this is important because people should understand that there isn’t a “right” way to transition to a feminist- it’s different for everyone, which is universal in itself. I also feel this is an important study topic, because it applies to almost everything socially constructed. Everything social is constructed or influenced by politics, theory, literature, history, sociology, psychology, which also has relevance to gender. Gender is related to a lot of social construction that we live in, which is why feminism is increasing.

   Themes that I am going to study are autobiography, bildungsroman, creative non-fiction, gender, class (consciousness), sociopolitical structures, and psychology side of feminism. Near the end of studying these themes, I’m going to evaluate if there is a common truth or transition that the women share. I’m going to evaluate their style of writing, flashbacks, thought process, etc.

II.             Autobiography

   A scholarly article by Marjanne E. Gooze says, “[a]ll contemporary writers on autobiography- feminist alike— confront tow central and interrelated issues in their work: those are of self and form” (411, Gooze). It also goes on to say, “…certain kinds of autobiographical writings, forms which women have often chosen over the centuries as preferred modes of personal expression” (413, Gooze). Personal expression is the primary reason for memoirs, and speaking of the issues around inequality that they’ve personally experienced is the purpose of these books. These women use the genre of autobiography to their advantage to enlighten the readers.  Using the form of self in a positive way to express personal experiences is the women’s way to be optimistic towards change. The use of “self” is usually influenced based off of historical events, and in this case, would be feminist historical markers. This influences the author’s I chose, to write the genre and style that they do. The scholarly article goes on to explain that the genre of autobiography of writing that women have often chosen is preferred to the advantage of personal expression, which memoirs give the advantage of this. It gives the reader a more personalized model of reading, because there is a lot of first person narrative, which in result, lets the reader also become the writer.

III.           Bildungsroman

       Bildungsroman is essentially a novel dealing with a person’s past years. The books I chose reflect on the author’s past experiences, which influenced them to write the memoirs about enlightenment towards feminism. The scholarly article about the female bildungsroman by Carol Lazzaro-Weis says, “[w]hen the term entered the ranks of feminist criticism in the 1970s, it proved most useful in analyzing the ways in which nineteenth- and early twentieth-century women novelists had represented the suppression and defeat of female autonomy, creativity, and maturity by patriarchal gender norms. According to Annis Pratt, the female Bildungsroman demonstrates how society provides women with models for "growing down" instead of "growing up,” …”” (17, Lazzaro). It also says, “Women writers, like their male counterparts, have traditionally turned to the Bildungsroman not to subvert its structures but rather to flaunt the contradictions in the form which critical theory has tried to explain away. All writers of Bildungsroman call for the right to describe experience in epistemological rather than teleological terms” (21, Lazzaro). Writing in a world that is male dominated make women prey to destructive criticism. It gives a response of inferiority and vulnerability that women are more than able to counter. The scholarly article goes on to say that women are working in a genre of criticism that is still dominated by men. No matter the genre of writing women turn to, it’s still considered the genre of criticism that they can’t own by themselves. This patriarchy has become a norm that women can’t seem to escape, because there is an expectation that is contradicting. The author’s I chose are writing memoirs to display these contradictions not just in the writing world, but in everyday life social structures. They use their experiences or “self” to describe these contradicting experiences that can be blinding the normal mind.

IV.          Creative Non-Fiction

   I feel this scholarly article by Suzanne Cope precisely describes the purpose of these memoirs. It goes on to say, “In the creative nonfiction workshop, critical rejection, often with transformational learning as a result, is achieved through both the act of writing, and the dialogue that ensues during the discussion of said work. These desired outcomes are aligned with the explicit goals of transformative learning: helping learners critically reflect on their experiences and assumptions, which hopefully leads to deeper understanding and a change in their current thinking. Despite their unfamiliarity with transformational learning theory, my study participants’ responses show how the workshop helps writers reflect upon and articulate past events in order to probe what meaning these have for the author” (69, Cope). The writing style chosen for these novels are for a learning tool- to enlighten people as a result. Now, getting a non-feminist to read this type of novel is another issue. These memoirs are to get the readers to reflect on their experiences (self), and determining if they agree with what the author is saying. Hopefully, the novels would change the way of thinking, and consider a feminism a valid point for society. A key for transformational learning is for people to see themselves (self) and their world in a different light.

V.            Gender

    A scholarly article that experimented the correlation of gender roles and femininity by Paige W. Toller, Elizabeth A. Suter, and Todd C. Trautman says, “[r]esearch to date contains several shortcomings that limit the strength of the conclusion that gender role identity is related to attitudes toward feminism. The objective of the present study was to determine whether or not there are relationships among gen- der role identity, support for feminism, and willingness to consider oneself a feminist. It is our central hypothesis that more masculine men and more feminine women will have less positive attitudes toward feminism” (85, Troller). It also gives a solution for feminists to help collect support by, “[a]n attempt to construct messages that achieve both goals will place feminists in a difficult rhetorical position. Emphasizing that support for feminism is consistent with a feminine identity might further entrench men’s opposition to the movement. Alternatively, messages that emphasize support for feminism is not at odds with a masculine identity might continue to reinforce women’s notion of feminists as non-feminine. One possible rhetorical strategy lies in the construction of messages based on alternative definitions of feminism” (89, Troller). I wanted to use this article to point out the problem with getting people to transform their thinking. A more feminine woman or a more masculine man is less likely to turn to feminism. There is often the misconception that a feminist is against men, which is false. We aren’t against men, but we are for equality. Also, wanting to be a feminist doesn’t necessarily mean you’re for non-feminine. We aren’t all masculine women or dominating. The construction of the message that is trying to be said is important. The message itself can have contradictions, which is why alternative definitions of feminism is important when trying to pull people in. There isn’t one definition of feminism. To increase support, the article says, “[f]eminists who seek support among men should emphasize definitions that do not view support for feminism as inconsistent with a masculine identity” (89, Troller). This is really important because men can be feminists even though they are masculine. And, if you are a feminist who is a masculine man, that doesn’t define you are feminine.

VI.          Class (consciousness)

   A scholarly article by Holly Angelique, explains that helping people get through problems that inequality brings forward, means to share similar experiences. It says, “Hartsock (1979) developed a strategy for organic intellectual development that involved examining the sociopolitical systems that we are nested within. This strategy involves ‘‘appropriating’’ our lived experiences and is consistent with feminists’ assertions that women’s experiences of “the everyday and the particular” provide a catalyst for consciousness transformation. In essence, this involves taking daily problems and asking questions, such as, “Who benefits and who loses as a result of this?” It also includes “appropriating collective experiences” by talking and sharing with others. The answers to these questions can help to disentangle every day and individual hassles from problems of oppression through consciousness-raising that reveals the sociopolitical contexts that our problems are embedded in”” (78, Angelique). This goes back to the idea of “self” that a lot of these articles seem to have in similarity. Being able to reflect on “self” and experiences that we have lived through, provide a stable foundation for enlightenment. Being conscious of our transformation is vital, because it gives us the ability to share the transformation, which is what these memoirs are about. The social structure of the world we live in should be revealed if they are destructive, so we can move forward to a better world. The same article goes on by saying, “The intersection of sexism and classism is inscribed on women’s bodies, quite literally (from sexuality to sexual violence; maternity to mannerisms). And our bodies (as well as those we reproduce/our children) are problematized in the academy…” (88, Angelique).

VII.        Sociopolitical Structures

   When it comes to sociopolitical structures, women and men can have different preferences to issues that we have. This article I chose focuses on the systematic issues and attitudes towards these differences, and points out their causes. The scholarly article points out that there are social-gender-roles that are in place in society, and they are caused by different influences. I wanted to point out these issues so we will have an understanding why feminism is in place of these memoirs, and why the authors have the opinions that they do. The article written by numerous scholars says, “The roles that are typically occupied substantially more by one sex than the other produce these more diffuse, shared expectations, or gender roles, because the characteristics that are required to carry out sex-typical tasks become stereotypical of women and men. For example, the general expectation that women are and should be sensitive, warm, soft-hearted, and peaceable (Williams & Best, 1982) likely arises from their disproportionate occupancy of caring roles, even though a more specific demand for these qualities applies to individuals (primarily women) who actually occupy such roles. Moreover, gender roles are reflected in ideologies that legitimize male-female inequality as natural and inevitable (e.g., Major & Schmader, 2001)” (Eagly). This is important to understand because our ideologies growing-up can influence who we are when we get older. Being able to recognize this, and move away from stereotypical gender norms is what the memoirs are about. The memoirs are about the author’s early experiences growing-up, and we get to understand their transition to feminism. Another quote from the same article backs up my claim of the correlation between self and consciousness. It says, “Gender also influences attitudes through self-regulatory processes that follow from people deriving social identity from their gender group (Turner & Oakes, 1997)” (Eagly). This quote simply says that your “self” is identified through your own gender group. Attentiveness about these effects can be fostered to improve women status in society. The problem with this is some men feel equality challenges their superiority in social power, which is not the point of feminism. It’s about identifying your role in society, and wanting it improved for all genders.

VIII.      Psychology

   This is another important theme to study, because the identity a person chooses to position in is deeply correlated with the community psychology. Conscious- raising in an environment such as your community, by examining particular events of sexism, is essential to over-throwing the dominant hegemony that is constructed. A scholarly article by Holly Angelique explains her own personal experiences of being a woman in a hegemonic community. She says, “Nesbit (2005) pointed out that positions of privilege and power are maintained through structural systems that include educational practices. As such, community psychology is positioned to produce and reproduce cultural hegemonic discourse or advance an emancipatory pedagogy” (87, Angelique). Power dynamics in a community are rooted in the psychology of people, and realizing the status of “self” that we carry with us can make awareness of this issue. Depending on the psychology mind-set of people, the issue of inequality can be reproduced. The memoirs that I chose to read point out a lot of these issues, but in a style of a novel. The memoirs tend to point of the psychology mind-set people, and what issues that brings forward.

IX.          Conclusion

  The books I chose I feel is essential to this study, because it is a representation of raw experience that is not necessarily built off science. This is important to point out, because it isn’t influenced by the systematics of any study, which I feel is the best material to analyze considering it isn’t biased.

    All these themes that are correlated with feminism, reflects the way we are conscious of the issue. These themes give me opportunity to identify the specific problems, and dig deeper to find if the authors have universal similarities. All the themes that I went over tend to be rooted in the theory of “self” and consciousness. I other words, when we are aware of our “self”, we are more willing to observe our individual issues, and in this case, with feminism. Since, “self” essentially is the connection between these themes, effectively, we can get closer to ending gender oppression. As I pile an analysis of gender, class, writing styles, and other themes in this literature review, I will help strengthen the material of this field, which I feel is inspiring.

   For the future, I am going to look deeply at the memoirs, especially the moments where there is discrimination, and analyze the rhetoric being used by the authors. I am going to determine if the situations the authors select to write about have resemblances. I am also going to justify the situations that I choose, and elaborate on the process of my work.

Cited Sources

Gooze, Marjanne E. "The Definitions of the Self and Form in Feminist Autobiography 

     Theory. "Women's Studies, vol. 21, no. 4, Sept. 1992, p. 411. EBSCOhost

Lazzaro-Weis, Carol. "The Female Bildungsroman: Calling It into Question." NWSA Journal,

    vol. 2, no. 1, Winter90, p. 16. EBSCOhost

Cope, Suzanne. "Teaching Creative Nonfiction: The Transformative Nature of the

     Workshop Method." New Directions for Teaching & Learning, vol. 2016, no. 147,

     Fall2016, pp. 67-73. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/tl.20200.

Toller, Paige W., et al. "Gender Role Identity and Attitudes toward Feminism." Sex Roles, vol.

     51, no. 1-2, July 2004, pp. 85-90. EBSCOhost

Angelique, Holly. "Embodying Critical Feminism in Community Psychology: Unraveling the

     Fabric of Gender and Class." Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 40, no. 1, Jan. 2012, pp.

     77-92. EBSCOhost

Eagly, Alice H., et al. "Gender Gaps in Sociopolitical Attitudes: A Social Psychological

     Analysis." Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, vol. 87, no. 6, Dec. 2004, pp. 796-

     816. EBSCOhost

Method

   I chose my three memoirs, because I feel it’s important to bring in different experiences of becoming feminists that is in first person. Looking at the transition of becoming feminists gives me the opportunity to analyze the motivation, then conclude whether there is any universe similarity among the transitions.

   In my memoirs, I am looking at the specific situations where there is discrimination, or situations that could be a fundamental motive to becoming a feminist. I’m going to study the rhetoric and language that the authors use, and analyze the specific situations that they chose.  I’m regarding these situations instead of another, because feminists essentially transition into feminine social belief due to the discrimination that they have experienced or acknowledged. I’m not saying people must experience discrimination to become a feminist. People can acknowledge the environment around them, and push for feminism beliefs.

   I chose the themes I did based off what feminism is influenced by, such as within social construction. For example, feminism is based largely on the mindset of a person and their ideology. So, with that being said, I would look at themes such as psychology.