Matilda Response
문학이론과 문화비평
Matilda Response Paper
박영광 12093305 The bulk of criticism on Matilda comes from the feminist branch of media criticism. Feminist criticism focuses on “the representation of women in literature” as it provides “the role models which indicated to women, and men, what constitutes acceptable versions of the ‘feminine’ and legitimate feminine goals and aspirations’ and furthermore, aims to diagnose “the problem of women’s inequality in society”. Matilda, shows an absolute degradation of though concerning women’s place in society, winning his book harsh criticism from feminists. Firstly, Roald Dahl recognizes a child’s desire to overcome oppressive authority figures. He encourages the fantasy of harboring secret or harboring secret magical powers and wielding them over evil adults. Moreover, the story of Matilda somehow revolves around children plotting the annihilation of an adult authority figure. This is not to say that Dahl is obsessed with turning children against adults, as Matilda is additionally empowered by Miss Honey, an adult, who believes in her power. Nonetheless, the corrupt force who assumes an adversarial position to Matilda is a woman, a fact which has caused many feminist readers to criticize Dahl’s story, along with many of his other books, and question his gender ideologies. Two of Dahl’s most recognized stories, Matilda and The Witches are examples of problematic texts, which use malicious female antagonists to embody corrupt adversaries within the plots. Each of these narratives was created in the 1980s, when women were beginning to leave their homes and enter the workforces, a move that seemed revolutionary at the time. Women were starting to gain authority positions in offices, schools, and eve government positions. The most visible of thise women was Margaret Thatcher, who in 1979 became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Interestingly, many feminist critics have noticed that Dahl’s female antagonists in Matilda
Matilda Response Paper
박영광 12093305 The bulk of criticism on Matilda comes from the feminist branch of media criticism. Feminist criticism focuses on “the representation of women in literature” as it provides “the role models which indicated to women, and men, what constitutes acceptable versions of the ‘feminine’ and legitimate feminine goals and aspirations’ and furthermore, aims to diagnose “the problem of women’s inequality in society”. Matilda, shows an absolute degradation of though concerning women’s place in society, winning his book harsh criticism from feminists. Firstly, Roald Dahl recognizes a child’s desire to overcome oppressive authority figures. He encourages the fantasy of harboring secret or harboring secret magical powers and wielding them over evil adults. Moreover, the story of Matilda somehow revolves around children plotting the annihilation of an adult authority figure. This is not to say that Dahl is obsessed with turning children against adults, as Matilda is additionally empowered by Miss Honey, an adult, who believes in her power. Nonetheless, the corrupt force who assumes an adversarial position to Matilda is a woman, a fact which has caused many feminist readers to criticize Dahl’s story, along with many of his other books, and question his gender ideologies. Two of Dahl’s most recognized stories, Matilda and The Witches are examples of problematic texts, which use malicious female antagonists to embody corrupt adversaries within the plots. Each of these narratives was created in the 1980s, when women were beginning to leave their homes and enter the workforces, a move that seemed revolutionary at the time. Women were starting to gain authority positions in offices, schools, and eve government positions. The most visible of thise women was Margaret Thatcher, who in 1979 became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Interestingly, many feminist critics have noticed that Dahl’s female antagonists in Matilda