Representation of Women in Literature (Article Sample)

Representation of Women in Literature
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Representation of Women in literature
Men had dominated the writing industry for many years in history, and the depiction of women in these old literary works was one-sided since they entirely reflected on men’s thoughts but not on that of women. During these ages, women were literally under suppression and their voices could not be heard in public. This is what led to their negative representation in men’s books. However, women in other cultures were engaged in oral literature such as folk songs, riddles and stories. These translated to written literature in the recent past when women decided to join their men counterparts in expressing their views through writing. Therefore, history makes it evident that the negative depiction of women in some of the ancient literature just stemmed from male dominance.
Most of the western literature got much influence from the misinterpretation of the Judaeo-Christian teachings. In the Jewish culture, women were highly regarded. The Old Testament contains stories of powerful women, i.e. the negative characters as well as those who we can remember for their positive and kind acts. The Old Testament has some negative representation of women, and gives so much emphasis to men, though the New Testament shows concern for the plight of women. The teachings of Jesus and his interactions with women as depicted in the New Testament shows that He really valued women CITATION WRF09 \l 1033 (Browning, 2009). As time went by, the Greek philosophers who started to portray women in a negative way distorted some of these teachings. Eve was seen as the source of sin and sexuality was seen as evil. However, people still had divergent views as other people regarded women with respect as they emphasized on their purity CITATION Cro15 \l 1033 (CrossRef-it.info, 2015).
Earlier literary works depicted women as those who had to depend on men for their well-being. These early works defined women in relation to their relationships with men. Some of the authors depicted women as vulnerable beings who needed men’s protection from the harsh realities of life CITATION Jer03 \l 1033 (Fisher & Silber, 2003). Some of the writers of these periods even created stereotypes, e.g., the Chaucer’s work, which creates a woman who married five men. These kinds of literature were rampant in the 16th century even up to the time of Shakespeare. It was entirely the result of the genteel love tradition and the Petrarchan sonnet and Arcadian utopias. The Shakespeare’s literature gave way for the depiction of female duties on stage. Some of his plays give men much time for men to speak while women only appear occasionally. Another writer in this period, Webster, depicted women as overtly sexual, and not just as objects of one’s own desires CITATION Cro15 \l 1033 (CrossRef-it.info, 2015). However, some of these plays like those that characterized the Spanish culture, depicted women as those who demanded special treatments from their relationships. These brought about a close consideration of the woman’s independence and self-awareness CITATION Rob08 \l 1033 (Robert, 2008).
The seventeenth century still had stereotype women characters, with most women being allowed to perform on stage in some countries like En...