This week in class we read different literary criticisms about The Great Gatsby. When reading the feminist criticism, although I didn't agree with all her ideas, I found that the author made some valid points. She said, "Literary works often reflect the ideological conflicts of their culture, whether or not it is their intention to do so...". In her essay she pointed out that the women were all alike in The Great Gatsby; they are negatively portrayed as shallow, selfish, and appalling.
The main characters(Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle) all are considered New Women. The way they dress and the way they act are characteristics of the New Woman. In the 1930s women began wearing skimpier clothing, cutting their hair short, and going to parties and drinking and smoking, etc. Women who did these things were considered "new". Many people were taken aback by this new attitude of women; most didn't like it and resented women who acted this way. F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrayal of the women in the book reflects the time period it was written in. The women, coincidentally, are new women and are also represented as horrible, crude, and egotistical. As the author points out, F. Scott Fitzgerald, whether intentionally or unintentionally, characterizes these women based on the 1930s view of women who acted like they did.
I admit that I didn't like Daisy, Jordan, or Myrtle. However, after reading I'm left reconsidering my first perception of them. They were each punished for their "crime" of being new women. Readers are led to dislike these women even though they were acting like many other women of the 1930s and even today. At the end, the author points out that we must know about the past views of women in order to understand women.
The main characters(Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle) all are considered New Women. The way they dress and the way they act are characteristics of the New Woman. In the 1930s women began wearing skimpier clothing, cutting their hair short, and going to parties and drinking and smoking, etc. Women who did these things were considered "new". Many people were taken aback by this new attitude of women; most didn't like it and resented women who acted this way. F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrayal of the women in the book reflects the time period it was written in. The women, coincidentally, are new women and are also represented as horrible, crude, and egotistical. As the author points out, F. Scott Fitzgerald, whether intentionally or unintentionally, characterizes these women based on the 1930s view of women who acted like they did.
I admit that I didn't like Daisy, Jordan, or Myrtle. However, after reading I'm left reconsidering my first perception of them. They were each punished for their "crime" of being new women. Readers are led to dislike these women even though they were acting like many other women of the 1930s and even today. At the end, the author points out that we must know about the past views of women in order to understand women.
After reading this post I am also reconsidering my view of these women! They were probably just acting like how the rest of the women during that era were.
ReplyDeleteGreat points in this post!! I also disliked Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle, but you have a very good point that they were getting scorned upon portraying the "new woman".
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought that Fitzgerald was being derogatory towards women until I heard about the feminist viewpoint; I believed his negative portrayal of women reflected his conflicts with Zelda! It's interesting how something can be interpreted so many ways!
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