Lecture 1I. Images of Women in Literature

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    Images of Women Chart

     

    If we were to take a look at some of the images we have examined already, we would see that they tend to fit neatly into the categories of the "types" of female images that have persisted in the popular imagination.

    for example, Hypatia is a kind of Hearth-Keeper Image, she is mature, knowing, but essentially boring?

    Emily Bronte is a perfect little "Spinster"-- and Seshat, although sometimes listed as Thoth's wife, is more often cited as his "Daughter"--and the "Daughter" is most often a "Virgin" image.

    (Some folks have asked about watching movies as a way of accessing literature came up.  this lesson, in a way, addresses the issue.  We can always draw on our visual knowledge to enhance our understanding of the characters we encounter in literature.)

    Good!!!

    Not-so-Good
    The Earth Mother:  The Hearth-Keeper:
    The Goodwyfe: The Hag:
    The Nun: The Spinster: 
    The Queen: The Wicked Queen: 
    The Governess: The Governess:
    The Mother: The Stepmother:
    The Virgin and Variations:  The Temptress:
    The Servant Girl: The Poor Girl:
    The Little Girl: The Huntress:
    The Beauty: The Medea:

     And, if we go ahead and finish off the chart, you may find that most of the women you have encountered both in literature, and in history itself {being essentially a kind of narrative form}, fit easily into our categories.  One thing that does happen, however, is that the images may undergo a change in our perception of them as morals and mores change, but the categories remain much the same.  In fact, we can find many of our literary types right in the ancient mythologies of Sumeria, Egypt, Anatolia, Greece, and Rome.  These archetypes persist in our literary imaginations today and we will make an ongoing gallery to refer to as the class proceeds.

    Images of Women Chart, filled in....

    Good!!!

    Not-so-Good
    The Earth Mother:   

    Gaia

    Demeter

    The Hearth-Keeper: Hestia, or

    the Roman Vesta

    or more modern Nazi propaganda

     
    The Goodwyfe:  

    we know how to recognize her!!

    		 The Hag:  Banshee

    or the Witch

    or crazy ladies

    and vampires!!
    The Nun:  Solitary and Virginal The Spinster: 

    Solitary and Virginal
    The Queen:         

      a good Witch, Glenda

      or resigned Juno

     

    The Wicked Queen:  Hecate

    or Guinevere
    The Governess:  Anna and The King The Governess:

    The Mother: 

     

      Mother

      from Byzantium

    to Suburbia

    		 The Stepmother:
    The Virgin and Variations:     

     Athena, Goddess of Wisdom

    Minerva, Warrior Goddess of Wisdom

    Freya, Goddess of War, Fertility, Death

    but we must not forget the Virgin who has been ruined--she moves over to the bad/mad side in no time:

    witness, Ophelia, the compromised woman

     

    		 The Temptress: Eve

    the Snake Goddess

     

    Selene, Goddess of the Moon

    Almost everyone in the Bible--Salome
    The Servant Girl: Cinderella The Poor Girl: The Miller's Daughter
    The Girl:

    Reubens' Three Graces

    Flower Girl 

      or The Bride

    		 The Huntress:  Artemis

      or Diana

     
    The Beauty: Venus

      Aphrodite

     

    		 The Medusa:

    the Goddess Ishtar becomes demonized 

     

    Even the medical Caduseus becomes a weapon in the hands of women

     

fyi, if you are interested in the corresponding names of Greek and Roman Goddesses, you can access this page. 

We will continue to work on this chart as the class progresses--each of you is encouraged to suggest characters you have read about as candidates for the archetypes.  We can discuss these in the Newsgroup Discussion and relate them to the authors you are working on for you project!

We will compile, as we go along, a record of images women in literature that we have encountered.  Images Chart.

Continue with Lecture II.

 

Literature 45  - Women in Literature:  

Marjorie C. Luesebrink, MFA

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