This research discusses whether male authors sexually objectify their female characters in comparison to female authors. This was done by analysing two classic and two contemporary fiction novels...Show moreThis research discusses whether male authors sexually objectify their female characters in comparison to female authors. This was done by analysing two classic and two contemporary fiction novels each by male and female American authors. These novels were chosen because of their similarities and because they feature a male protagonist who narrates the story. The novels were analysed for phrases used to describe the female characters appearance and these descriptions were compared to the novels of the opposite gender to check for any sexual objectification. The results revealed that male authors were more likely to sexually objectify their female characters in comparison to female authors. However, due to the size of this research, more research must be done to understand the scale and nuances of this.Show less
Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987) state that although interaction is co-operative, a person’s face can be unintentionally attacked through face-threatening acts (FTAs). Culpeper (1996) disagrees,...Show moreBrown and Levinson (1978, 1987) state that although interaction is co-operative, a person’s face can be unintentionally attacked through face-threatening acts (FTAs). Culpeper (1996) disagrees, stating that people can also intentionally attack someone’s face, and devised “impoliteness superstrategies” (pp. 356-357) that are used for this purpose. However, little research has been done on intentional impoliteness, and even less on gender and intentional impoliteness. Therefore, the research question is: do men and women use different face-threatening acts, and do they respond to these FTAs differently? I aimed to analyse adult men and women’s language, behaviour and paralinguistic features on FTAs and their responses to FTAs, focusing on the differences. This was done through analysis of a total of ten forty-minute episodes from three different reality television series: Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! (n.a., 2014-2018), Supernanny (Frost, 2004-2008) and Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance (Frost, 2010-2012), using a schedule based on the FTAs and impoliteness superstrategies by Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987), Culpeper (1996) and Bousfield (2008), respectively. The responses to FTAs were also recorded. Men and women seemed to use similar FTAs. However, the context in which the FTAs were spoken seemed to affect who was expressing which FTAs. A total of twelve different response types were recorded. These results can be used in different contexts (i.e. language teaching) to predict what kind of FTAs might be present in which contexts. They may also be used to add to both politeness and impoliteness theory.Show less
This thesis aims to show that vampires of Bram Stoker’s Dracula are the victims of a patriarchal society, as well as a reaction to the upcoming feminist ideal of the New Woman during the fin de...Show moreThis thesis aims to show that vampires of Bram Stoker’s Dracula are the victims of a patriarchal society, as well as a reaction to the upcoming feminist ideal of the New Woman during the fin de siècle. Additionally, this thesis will show that the framework of the gothic empowers gender nonconforming men and women by subverting Victorian expectations surrounding marriage and gender. Stoker did not denounce the New Woman, but instead recognized the patriarchal Victorian society as a gothic structure that oppressed any man or woman who did not conform.Show less
This thesis examines the gender representation in the animated series Avatar: the Last Airbender by analyzing several male and female characters of the series. Gender theories by Judith Bulter...Show moreThis thesis examines the gender representation in the animated series Avatar: the Last Airbender by analyzing several male and female characters of the series. Gender theories by Judith Bulter served as the main sources for this thesis.Show less
In her highly influential book Gender Trouble, as well as in other publications such as “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution” and “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Judith Butler argues...Show moreIn her highly influential book Gender Trouble, as well as in other publications such as “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution” and “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Judith Butler argues for the performative nature of gender and especially the performativity of heterosexual masculinity. She discusses gender as a theatrical performance and claims that gender is, in essence, an imitation of a non-existent original. She argues that gender is collectively produced by society in a way similar to how plays are produced for the stage. The performance of cross-dressing can be especially disruptive of the illusion that gender identity is built around a stable core, and often highlight the every-day performance that is masculinity. Although most Shakespeare plays do not explicitly discuss cross-dressing practices, female roles in Shakespeare’s England were performed by young boys. Some of the plays do discuss the theme overtly, especially those that feature double cross-dressing. In the plays As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Cymbeline, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona, female characters disguise themselves as men for an array of reasons. The boys in these plays literally perform two genders as a role – both the (traditional) female and male gender role are performed on the stage. Through this, the boundaries of gender are blurred and its performativity highlighted. Scholars such as Michael Shapiro and Stephen Orgel have researched gender in Shakespeare’s plays extensively. In their respective books, Gender in Play on the Shakespearean Stage and Impersonations: The performance of gender in Shakespeare’s England, they discuss what effect the presence of the boy actors has on the plays and how Shakespeare deliberately alluded to their presence. Through jests, comments and allusions, Shakespeare’s plays explore the act of cross-dressing, homoeroticism and question gender boundaries. Shakespeare’s (double) cross-dressed characters highlight the performativity of gender, especially masculinity, in a way similar to what Butler discusses in her works on gender performativity. Casey Charles, in his essay “Gender Trouble in Twelfth Night”, applies Butler’s ideas to several scenes in the play. He argues that “Judith Butler's critique … provides a useful model for understanding” how Shakespeare’s plays disrupt traditional ideas on gender and sexuality. His application of Butler to Twelfth Night in turn provides a model for the analysis of other plays in this thesis. In this thesis, I will first discuss Butler’s ideas on performative gender. Secondly, I will analyse how gender is portrayed as a performative act in three plays: The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Thirdly, I will discuss how the casting boys or (young) men in original productions of these plays impacts the meaning of the disguises, as well as that of the plays as a whole. After investigating the original texts and productions, I will also analyse modern productions of the three plays by Shakespeare’s Globe company, and show how they deal with the notions of boy actors, performative gender and cross-dressing, as well as Shakespeare’s original comments and allusions. I will argue that within the three plays, comments, humour, and reflexive allusions highlight the presence of the boy actor. Through these, the plays also portray gender – especially masculinity – as a performative act that is similar to the acts that Butler describes in her work. Since most modern productions opt for women to play the cross-dressed characters in the play, many of the intended allusions are lost. Therefore, it is essential for the preservation of both the originally intended plays as well as the timeless messages on gender they carry that all-male productions remain.Show less
By choosing characters with a similar background, this thesis will focus on the women mentioned above within the framework of medievalism and gender theory to explore how traits and characteristics...Show moreBy choosing characters with a similar background, this thesis will focus on the women mentioned above within the framework of medievalism and gender theory to explore how traits and characteristics rooted in the notion of femininity and masculinity has shifted within literature in the course of time. I ultimately intend to argue that in modern-day fiction, traditional gender roles have blurred, and as a result of that, women have acquired more dynamic roles.Show less
This thesis examines whether there is a difference in how English swearwords are perceived by Dutch L1 speaking men and women and whether the swearwords are also ranked differently per gender. In...Show moreThis thesis examines whether there is a difference in how English swearwords are perceived by Dutch L1 speaking men and women and whether the swearwords are also ranked differently per gender. In order to collect data to answer the research questions, an online survey was created. The participants were 60 Dutch L1 speakers with a near-native or advanced language proficiency in English. The data was then analyzed with two independent T-tests, a Mann-Whitney test, and a two-way repeated measures ANOVA test in IBM SPSS statistics. The results suggest that gender, as well as swearwords, have an effect on the perceived offensiveness of English swearwords. In general, male participants perceived English swearwords as less offensive than female participants. It was also found that the swearwords were not all perceived as equally offensive. Finally, it was found that the overall scale of offense as well as the scale of offense per gender differed from the native-speakers scale of offense (McEnery, 2006) suggesting that Dutch L1 speakers of English perceive English swearwords differently from native English speakers.Show less
This thesis investigates the participation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (1996-2011) in a tradition of nominally feminist fantasy literature that challenges patriarchal values...Show moreThis thesis investigates the participation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (1996-2011) in a tradition of nominally feminist fantasy literature that challenges patriarchal values commonly found in the genre. By close-reading the characters of Arya, Sansa, and Brienne, this thesis argues that the novels act as a subversion of common fantasy tropes while at the same time standing in opposition to nominally feminist fantasy literature that centers on female protagonists overcoming the patriarchy through skill at arms. By emphasizing the struggle of everyone living under the patriarchy, Martin's series instead highlights the need for cultural revolution in attitudes towards gender.Show less
This thesis explores the ways in which gendered language related to love and marriage can illuminate aspects concerning the themes of love and marriage in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emma...Show moreThis thesis explores the ways in which gendered language related to love and marriage can illuminate aspects concerning the themes of love and marriage in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emma. A literature review has been provided in order to support the investigations conducted in this thesis, and it summarises the areas of gendered language which have been selected for analysis. In the subsequent sections, a study of the data collected with the use of the application WordSmith focuses on the ways in which patterns of gendered language uttered by various characters highlight fundamental features of different ages and classes. Key elements of age and class differences were uncovered, with extremely varying perspectives on love and marriage by the older generations and those of the higher upper classes, as opposed to the younger generations and members of lower positions in society. A reading of the two novels together has allowed for a wide analysis of Austen’s themes across her works, and it has led to the discovery of interesting parallels between Pride and Prejudice and Emma.Show less
Gothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary...Show moreGothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary (even in times when outright protest could be dangerous), and the Gothic is no exception. As such, Gothic Literature forms a representation of the society that formed its’ base, and a study of the gender roles as portrayed within the novels allows for an understanding of the gender roles within Gothic society- even more importantly, the novels of the time contain the bases of the changes that marked the period. The writers of the Gothic commented on the old patriarchy through their prevalently male adversaries warring against young heroines, and called for a new form of patriarchy that would rid women of the sometimes violent oppressions they suffered under outdated notions of gender roles. The heroines of the Gothic as such become the embodiment of a new generation of women that treaded outside their traditional sphere, demanding education and rights, even if remaining under the protection of their fathers and husbands. This commentary on patriarchy, and the representation of proto-feminism in Gothic Literature will form the core of my research, and this thesis.Show less
This thesis will examine changing gender roles and the ideal of equality in marriage during the Middle Ages using two medieval tales: The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and Chaucer’s Wife...Show moreThis thesis will examine changing gender roles and the ideal of equality in marriage during the Middle Ages using two medieval tales: The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale. In both tales, the figure of the loathly lady is an important character who overthrows traditional gender roles and embodies a new kind of ideal woman. She defies the gender binary by not conforming to her expected gender role and by conveying the message that women want sovereignty over their husbands. The ultimate goal, however, is not for a woman to be superior to a man, but for both to live as equals in marriage. In this thesis I will apply medieval gender theories to both The Wedding if Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle and The Wife of Bath’s Tale in order to show the inferior position that women were expected to take, especially in marriage, and how the loathly lady proposes a new ideal of equality by claiming that what women actually want is to have power themselves.Show less
Anxieties about writing and privacy are often at the heart of Edith Wharton’s fiction. In the two works discussed in this thesis, Wharton’s early novels The Touchstone (1900) and The House of Mirth...Show moreAnxieties about writing and privacy are often at the heart of Edith Wharton’s fiction. In the two works discussed in this thesis, Wharton’s early novels The Touchstone (1900) and The House of Mirth (1905), private letters written by women acting outside the domestic sphere, a woman writer and an adulterous wife, play a central role. Wharton uses these letters to explore the boundaries between the private and public spheres and to ask questions about the position of woman writers at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, whether they can function in the public realm and make themselves heard, or are destined to remain in the private sphere and be silent. The principal female characters in The Touchstone and The House of Mirth are, in a sense, both “authors” who are unable to break free from the limitations of their lives. In spite of their moral superiority, they remain subordinate to men who misread their writing, with disastrous consequences. Although Wharton criticises the male-dominated society of early twentieth-century America, she suggests that woman writers had better stayed within their domestic confinement, and, as a consequence, that private letters by women had better be burnt than published.Show less
It has been said to write what you know and literature has made use of this fact in no uncertain terms. Especially the film industry, and within that the romantic comedy genre, tell stories of...Show moreIt has been said to write what you know and literature has made use of this fact in no uncertain terms. Especially the film industry, and within that the romantic comedy genre, tell stories of everyday lives. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, they have a fight, they make up, they get together or get married and we laugh, or die of embarrassment at the impossible situations they get themselves into. These are scenes we all know too well. Romantic comedies have been a part of not only our modern culture but they also date back to at least the early modern English periods where Shakespeare entertained the masses. In our modern film culture, romantic comedies seem to be all the rage. Hollywood is popping out one after the other and they seem to have great success all over the world. Due to the fact that romantic comedies make use of a great amount of stereotyping (Neale & Krutnik, 1990), they make interesting cases for gender specific sociolinguist analysis. And that is what I intend to research: Language and gender in dialogue between head male and head female characters in romantic comedies. And also due to the developments that have occurred during the feminist and post feminist periods, I will compare some language features from 1960’s romantic comedies to the early 2000’s. The research will be based on a theoretical background in gender-specific sociolinguistics given by Lakoff (1995), Spender (1989), and Meyerhoff (2006). I will also consult film theoretic literature on romantic comedies given by Neale and Krutnik (1990) and Thompson and Bordwell (2010) to place my research in context. The research data will consist of evidence and examples from fifteen 1960’s romantic comedies, and fifteen of their early 2000’s counterparts.Show less
This thesis explores the correlation between gender roles and the use of the high rise pattern in declarative sentences, and whether the High Rising Terminal is an indicator of insecurity, as...Show moreThis thesis explores the correlation between gender roles and the use of the high rise pattern in declarative sentences, and whether the High Rising Terminal is an indicator of insecurity, as Lakoff (1973) suggests. The Introduction gives an overview of the field and the relevant issues and literature and the concepts of gender roles (particularly the phenomenon of the ‘power woman’) and the High Rise are explained. The Methodology for the research consists of two tests. First, five minutes of speech of twenty women in Dutch media were analysed for frequencies of the End Rise. The two women who displayed the highest and lowest frequencies were then subjected to further research (with transcribed speech samples consisting of ten minutes) to investigate the nature and context of their End Rises and whether these End Rises constitute occurrences of the High Rise. The results for both tests, which show that there is little correlation between the High Rise and assumed insecurity, are presented in the Results chapter. In the Conclusion, the results are discussed in relation to the research questions and the implications of the research and its results are also discussed.Show less
