Feminist Literary Theory

Spring 2021 Wednesday ENG 110: Professor Lavarini

Applying Feminist Critical Theory

Please address the prompt below in a well-developed essay response of four to six paragraphs. You may use your feminist terms sheet and the class grid notes to help you, and you absolutely need a copy of the short stories and/or play to quote and paraphrase from the story, using exact page numbers if the text has page numbers. You will have twenty-fours to write this essay and upload it via a link in our Canvas shell.

Be sure to quote and/or paraphrase, citing authors and page numbers, to support your response. You should have at least two quotations from each text you use. This essay requires close textual analysis, so do tie your points to specifics in the story. Every time you quote or paraphrase, you need to cite the author and page number directly after the information in a parenthesis: (Faulkner 84). If you use the author’s name to introduce the information, then all you need is the page number in the parenthesis, as in the following:

Faulkner describes Emily as a stereotypical patriarchal woman: “a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip” (83).

Do double space, and do write in complete, grammatically-correct sentences. Do not use “you” and/or contractions. You must do your own work and cannot consult/collaborate with anyone, whether online or in person. Do NOT use outside sources, except for the short stories themselves, the class handouts, class lecture, and a dictionary. When you are done, upload the final version of your essay to the link on Canvas: Essay 3. You have twenty-four hours to write this essay, and your essay will be reviewed for Turnitin before I grade it. Good luck. 

Essay 3 Prompt:

Choose at least two of the works below to explain how traditional gender roles are harmful to both female AND male characters in the two or three works you examine. If you quote any definitions from the feminist terms sheet, do cite in the following manner: (Lavarini ).

In your conclusion, explain if you think that gender roles continue to limit both men and women in today’s American society, being sure to support your response with specific examples (in place of quotations and paraphrases).

No works cited page is required.

“A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

Trifles by Susan Glaspell “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman