Postmodern Feminist strategies “Bluebeard’s Egg” as an Example
Feminisms 1. women's positions in patriarchal society and discourses 2. history of feminist movement & writings 3. Feminisms and Gender Studies: Radical Feminism, French Feminism, Post-Feminism, (Lesbian Feminism, Taiwanese Feminisms) 4. Postmodern Feminist strategies
Feminist strategies: Examples Social/ Theoretical in the 60’s – 70’s n 1. 2. Gender equality in public sphere A. Separatism, lesbianism B. Sexual Liberation Gender Studies n 1. 2. Literary Criticism Sexual Politics in traditional lit. ; Androgyny A. Exclusive focus only on women’s writings B. Celebrating femininity, feminine writing and desire
Feminist Artistic strategies: Some Examples n n Critiques: reveal gender biases 菊豆 Empower female characters and their works; Examples: “Granny Weatherall” Celebrating femininity; Discovering Female Desire: The Piano; Georgia O'Keeffe；”野獸派” feminine writing: Films by Lea Pool and Rozema, poems by 夏宇 n n Revising tradition: 姜嫄 Open accusation: Barbara Kruger
Postmodern feminist literary strategies: the use of duality (2) n 1. 2. n n Themes: Construction of identity through relationships; blurring of gender boundaries; dual identity (腹語術，The Piano). Alternative world: Fantasies, magic realism, utopia or distopia Style: revision of history or traditional texts, parody, mimicry and metafiction Dual language: irony and ambiguity; or feminine writing (subversive of binaries and fixed meanings).
Postmodern Feminist Artistic strategies: Dual language n 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Open rebellion or ventriloquist and implicitly coopting? Open accusation: Barbara Kruger; (accusation+mimicry)ㄐ一ㄢ視 Revising male texts/tradition such as fairy tales to allow female space: Atwood’s “Blue Beard’s Egg”; “ 腹語術” Irony: “Rape Fantasies”; “重金屬” Parody: some feminist paintings﹔ ”某些雙人舞” Parody + intertexuality: Mermaids Mimicry; Cindy Sherman, Madonna
"Bluebeard's Egg“: Background—the fairy tales n 1. the fairy tale: "Blue Beard's Egg": p. 137; wizard, three daughters, forbidden room, the egg – an important symbol 2. the fairy-tale setting and the other motifs of fairy-tale or child play: forest, sauce, playhouse, prehistoric windbreaker, games (Monopoly 132, Pick Up Sticks p. 145) egg: fertility symbol; forbidden area+ blood//women’s loss of virginity revising the fairy-tale, and scrambling of the other fairy-tale elements.
"Bluebeard's Egg“: Background—the marriage 3. Sally, the third wife of Ed. The previous two wive--reasons for departure unknown: pp. 117; 131 4. Ed, a heard doctor. --> heart, another important symbol in this story
Sally's marriage 1 : Her relationship with Ed 1. her view of Ed, her husband: p. 116 (reversing the blonde tradition); p. 117; influenced by fairytales and murder mysteries 2. insecure about her identity, but actually strong and patronizing/mothering the men around her: 122 -23 3. her relation with Ed. : 118; Ed as the center of her life 4. worry about her being a "nothing" like Marilyn in marriage p. 122
Sally's marriage 2 : Sally's worries, misunderstanding and misgiving. . . I. in terms of fairy-tale motifs: 1. p. 121 -- the other women and Sally's worries 2. p. 130 --The women will chew him up. (A reversal of the Bluebeard plot) 3. Ed like a Russian doll 133; 4. wandering in a forest--like Hans or the Little Red-Riding Hood who gets lucky? 133 5. the ice-made house breaking apart 134
Sally's marriage 3 : Clues to Ed's hypocrisy I. n n n I. Ed’s stupidity or indifference? pp. 117, 125; indifferent to her e. g. the heart machine episode p. 128 p. 129 -- mechanical love-making Marilyn's remarks p. 120 (Ed as a shiny button); p. 142 (getting a seeing-eye dog for him)
Sally's growth (or initiation) 1. Feminist ideas emerging in Sally n n take courses to interest Ed, 125; real reason: to distract herself from him 134 Her joke about heart surgery 126. Her reading of the fairy-tale on p. 137 Sally is asked to revise the story of Bluebeard.
Sally's growth (or initiation) 2. Turning point The party: Sally prepares the meal while thinking about Ed as the egg p. 140 n the discovery p. 144 n Multiple interpretations 1. Really happened? 2. Ed intoxicated? 3. "Possibly Ed is not stupid. Possibly he is enormously clever. " (145) n
Sally's growth (or initiation) Turning point fairy-tale n forbidden area Ed as the egg p. 140 n n n Actually filled with chopped up women. Ed being the womanizer
Sally's growth (or initiation) 3. ambiguous ending n n a heart--in black and white-- that will go on and on, over which she has no control. an egg which suggests new possiblities
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