Atwood and Suu Kyi Analysis
Margret Atwood “Spotty-handed Villainesses” (1994)
Purpose
• To entertain, inform & challenge
• Attempted to provide the audience with an entertaining insight into the portrayal of women, especially female villains in novels, short stories and plays
• Initially felt it necessary to outline the aims of fiction and the process by which it is created- purpose is to explore the scope and genres of fiction, answering questions which are posed by this area of academic interest
• Moved on to explore the pressing issue of feminisms influence on literature
• She wishes to inform and challenge the views and attitudes of her audience
• Established the idea that it was acceptable to portray some women as evil in literature- accurate reflection of society which consists of ‘the murderers, the seducers, the espionage agents, the cheats, the bad mothers and the stepmothers’ as well as a plethora of good women
• Aim appeared to defend the current portrayal of both good and bad female characters in fictional works and to differentiate herself from the feminist movement
• she explores good & bad women in literature & deals particularly with the role of women & how literature portrays them
• She asks for women to be behaving in a range of ways in literature that places them at all points on the moral spectrum.
Role of Women in Society
• Explores the changing role of women in society– through her investigation of the portrayal of female characters in literature, and the changes they have undergone over time
• Congratulates women’s movement for expanding the roles of women in literature and simultaneously society- but she also criticises them for limiting the reality of this portrayal
• Her balanced appraisal for the benefits and detriments feminism has had on fictional female characters parallels her views of the impact the women’s movement has had in society
• Advocates that women should be free to choose whether they want to be seen as good or bad
Purpose
• To entertain, inform & challenge
• Attempted to provide the audience with an entertaining insight into the portrayal of women, especially female villains in novels, short stories and plays
• Initially felt it necessary to outline the aims of fiction and the process by which it is created- purpose is to explore the scope and genres of fiction, answering questions which are posed by this area of academic interest
• Moved on to explore the pressing issue of feminisms influence on literature
• She wishes to inform and challenge the views and attitudes of her audience
• Established the idea that it was acceptable to portray some women as evil in literature- accurate reflection of society which consists of ‘the murderers, the seducers, the espionage agents, the cheats, the bad mothers and the stepmothers’ as well as a plethora of good women
• Aim appeared to defend the current portrayal of both good and bad female characters in fictional works and to differentiate herself from the feminist movement
• she explores good & bad women in literature & deals particularly with the role of women & how literature portrays them
• She asks for women to be behaving in a range of ways in literature that places them at all points on the moral spectrum.
Role of Women in Society
• Explores the changing role of women in society– through her investigation of the portrayal of female characters in literature, and the changes they have undergone over time
• Congratulates women’s movement for expanding the roles of women in literature and simultaneously society- but she also criticises them for limiting the reality of this portrayal
• Her balanced appraisal for the benefits and detriments feminism has had on fictional female characters parallels her views of the impact the women’s movement has had in society
• Advocates that women should be free to choose whether they want to be seen as good or bad