The purpose of this study is twofold. It focuses primarily on comparing the works of Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht within the context of recent feminist political theory and critical thought. In addition, it utilizes six different methods of feminist criticism in an effort to identify those modes which best serve both feminism and literature. / Brecht and Shaw are the subjects of this study because both are generally considered to be straightforward and progressive in terms of their socio-political perspectives, and because both have been thought to display feminist sympathies. By comparing these two apparently progressive, liberal leftist male playwrights, I attempted to show where they fit into the mainstream of male thought, and identify where they do indeed deviate from it, focusing particularly on differences between male perception and female reality. / Because this study has a dual purpose, and because each chapter utilizes a different critical method, general conclusions were difficult. Brecht seems relatively traditional in his use of female heroes: their function is largely symbolic, and too often he equates female victimization and eroticism. Shaw, who is often thought to be the quintessential male feminist, was far more surprising because I found that his plays often reflect fear of powerful women. While Brecht saw women as essentially powerless victims, Shaw specialized in the carnivorous female. In addition, as Shaw developed the concepts of the Life Force and Creative Evolution, he tended to see women's role primarily in terms of reproductive function, but I remain unconvinced that women's creativity is to be found chiefly in procreation. / Finally, in terms of feminist criticism, a pattern emerged during the course of my inquiry. In every case, whether employing archetypal, structural, socio-historical, androgyny, radical or socialist analysis, issues of sexual power politics, of dominance and subordinance, surfaced which could not be circumvented. This reflects radical feminist theory, and if the purpose of feminist criticism is to open up a text, radical criticism offers the most insights into the hierarchical, sexual political organization of culture, as well as into the ways literature both reflects patriarchal values and contributes to the oppression of women. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-09, Section: A, page: 2698. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75397 |
| Contributors | SCHULER, CATHERINE ANN., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 279 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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