The Female Man By Joanna Russ
Celeste Carle
Mr. Mirell
Eng. 4 Sci-Fi, P. 6
4 December 2014
The Female Man (1975)
By Joanna Russ
Title Explanation
The novel is titled The Female Man in a literal sense because one of the four main characters, Joanna, decides to metaphorically become a man in order gain respect that she can’t receive as a woman.
In terms of the theme, however, the title represents the idea that gender is a social construct, something that can be broken down and allows individuals to assume masculinity and femininity according to desire, not born gender. People can also take on traditional gender roles such as women are the homemaker and men are the breadwinners and dismantle their relationship to gender.
Main Characters
Jeannine
Jeannine lives in our world …show more content…
in 1969 except in an alternate reality where the Great Depression never ended and World War II never happened. Without the War, women did not emerge into the workplace and claim their spot in the workplace. This makes the social constructs of gender even more radical, with the idea of a heterosexual marriage more so stressed. Jeannine is dating a man named Cal that she doesn’t love, but after a few blind dates with other men she gives in and marries him.
Joanna
Joanna lives in our modern world except in 1969. She is the essential main character eventually assumes a male identity. The character sometimes merges with the author, Joanna Russ, to make a point about the loss of identity that comes with being a woman.
Janet
Janet is from a utopian planet called Whileaway where all the men were thought to have died from a plague a few centuries ago. On her planet, they reproduce through gene splicing and have found no need for men. She is married to a woman named Vittoria although relationships on Whileaway are not monogamous.
Main Characters cont.
Jael
Jael lives in a version of the future not derived from either of the Earth versions of the present that Jeannine and Joanna experience. In this dystopian society, the world is split into Manland and Womanland, countries at war with one another. Jael represents the possibility of an unsuccessful revolution against heterosexuality where the women simply replaced men. This still establishes a gender construct, which defeats the purpose of the segregation.
Settings
Joanna’s World: Earth (normal 1969)
Jeannine’s World: Earth (where Great Depression never ended 1969)
Janet’s World: Whileaway (All female utopian planet)
Jael’s World: Womanland/Manland (Gender-divided future Earth dystopia)
Conflict
The biggest conflict is the main characters struggle to understand each others worlds.
Through trying to understand, they begin questioning the way that they live. Jeannine, for example, realizes that marriage doesn’t have to be her only aspiration and that she shouldn’t marry just to be married.
Another conflict that is more of an overarching theme about the different ways that the social expectation in each of these women’s lives affects them. It is an issue of misogyny that effects them all. They are expected to live a life of “less importance” because of something as insignificant as their gender.
Climax
I believe the climax of the story is after Jael assassinates Manland’s misogynistic leader. She tells the other women that she wants them to secretly create bases in their worlds so that when the time comes they have the ability to overthrow the men and destroy their forced gender roles. Everyone but Janet agrees. Being from Whileaway, she has no way to fully understand the threat that everyone else believes men pose. Jael then tells her that Whileaway is the future where women have won the war, the men did not die of plague. Janet refuses to believe her. This is all four character’s point of no return. They realize the oppression patriarchal views and either decide to do something about it or not, in Janet’s
case.
The Science
Gene Splicing
This is how Whileawayans’ reproduce.
Alternant Reality Time Travel
It is never explained how the women transport from one realm to the other, but I am assuming that it has to do with an invention Jael develops.
Genotype Similarity Connecting
All four of the women are supposedly linked because of their identical genotypes. This concept is more so a plot device than an explained science but it is an interesting concept to think about.
Celeste’s Review
I love the concept of the novel considering the queer positivity and feminism (even though it is Second Wave Feminism ie. Transphobic), although I found it difficult to read considering it is written in the first person view of all the characters, first person omniscient, second person and third person as well as in a mix of dialogues, articles, chapters, lists and monologues. I understand that that is part of the beauty of the novel and the reader is supposed to be confused about who’s talking, but I did not grasp the first few chapters. Despite its challenge, I believe that it is still relevant today considering the fight for gender equality against sexism has not yet been won. I would not recommend reading it on your own, but if one was ever to take a queer/women/gender studies course and had the opportunity for dissection and discussion, I would highly recommend taking on the challenge.
Works Cited
Ayres, Susan. "Science Fiction Studies." The "Straight Mind" in Russ’s The Female Man. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.
Russ, Joanna. The Female Man. Boston: Beacon, 1986. Print.
Mr. Mirell
Eng. 4 Sci-Fi, P. 6
4 December 2014
The Female Man (1975)
By Joanna Russ
Title Explanation
The novel is titled The Female Man in a literal sense because one of the four main characters, Joanna, decides to metaphorically become a man in order gain respect that she can’t receive as a woman.
In terms of the theme, however, the title represents the idea that gender is a social construct, something that can be broken down and allows individuals to assume masculinity and femininity according to desire, not born gender. People can also take on traditional gender roles such as women are the homemaker and men are the breadwinners and dismantle their relationship to gender.
Main Characters
Jeannine
Jeannine lives in our world …show more content…
in 1969 except in an alternate reality where the Great Depression never ended and World War II never happened. Without the War, women did not emerge into the workplace and claim their spot in the workplace. This makes the social constructs of gender even more radical, with the idea of a heterosexual marriage more so stressed. Jeannine is dating a man named Cal that she doesn’t love, but after a few blind dates with other men she gives in and marries him.
Joanna
Joanna lives in our modern world except in 1969. She is the essential main character eventually assumes a male identity. The character sometimes merges with the author, Joanna Russ, to make a point about the loss of identity that comes with being a woman.
Janet
Janet is from a utopian planet called Whileaway where all the men were thought to have died from a plague a few centuries ago. On her planet, they reproduce through gene splicing and have found no need for men. She is married to a woman named Vittoria although relationships on Whileaway are not monogamous.
Main Characters cont.
Jael
Jael lives in a version of the future not derived from either of the Earth versions of the present that Jeannine and Joanna experience. In this dystopian society, the world is split into Manland and Womanland, countries at war with one another. Jael represents the possibility of an unsuccessful revolution against heterosexuality where the women simply replaced men. This still establishes a gender construct, which defeats the purpose of the segregation.
Settings
Joanna’s World: Earth (normal 1969)
Jeannine’s World: Earth (where Great Depression never ended 1969)
Janet’s World: Whileaway (All female utopian planet)
Jael’s World: Womanland/Manland (Gender-divided future Earth dystopia)
Conflict
The biggest conflict is the main characters struggle to understand each others worlds.
Through trying to understand, they begin questioning the way that they live. Jeannine, for example, realizes that marriage doesn’t have to be her only aspiration and that she shouldn’t marry just to be married.
Another conflict that is more of an overarching theme about the different ways that the social expectation in each of these women’s lives affects them. It is an issue of misogyny that effects them all. They are expected to live a life of “less importance” because of something as insignificant as their gender.
Climax
I believe the climax of the story is after Jael assassinates Manland’s misogynistic leader. She tells the other women that she wants them to secretly create bases in their worlds so that when the time comes they have the ability to overthrow the men and destroy their forced gender roles. Everyone but Janet agrees. Being from Whileaway, she has no way to fully understand the threat that everyone else believes men pose. Jael then tells her that Whileaway is the future where women have won the war, the men did not die of plague. Janet refuses to believe her. This is all four character’s point of no return. They realize the oppression patriarchal views and either decide to do something about it or not, in Janet’s
case.
The Science
Gene Splicing
This is how Whileawayans’ reproduce.
Alternant Reality Time Travel
It is never explained how the women transport from one realm to the other, but I am assuming that it has to do with an invention Jael develops.
Genotype Similarity Connecting
All four of the women are supposedly linked because of their identical genotypes. This concept is more so a plot device than an explained science but it is an interesting concept to think about.
Celeste’s Review
I love the concept of the novel considering the queer positivity and feminism (even though it is Second Wave Feminism ie. Transphobic), although I found it difficult to read considering it is written in the first person view of all the characters, first person omniscient, second person and third person as well as in a mix of dialogues, articles, chapters, lists and monologues. I understand that that is part of the beauty of the novel and the reader is supposed to be confused about who’s talking, but I did not grasp the first few chapters. Despite its challenge, I believe that it is still relevant today considering the fight for gender equality against sexism has not yet been won. I would not recommend reading it on your own, but if one was ever to take a queer/women/gender studies course and had the opportunity for dissection and discussion, I would highly recommend taking on the challenge.
Works Cited
Ayres, Susan. "Science Fiction Studies." The "Straight Mind" in Russ’s The Female Man. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.
Russ, Joanna. The Female Man. Boston: Beacon, 1986. Print.