The Stargazer's Sister Analysis

The definition of literature is not easy to concretely decide upon, and deciding if a piece of work is literature is harder to conclude when there is no concrete definition of the category. Various people have differing opinions on what makes literature literature: it may be believed that literature consists of the Classics (Shakespeare, Homer, Sophocles, etc.), and it may also be believed that literature consists of what students are forced to read while in school (The Catcher in the Rye, The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, etc.). Though it is hard to categorize what does and what does not fall under the literature umbrella as a whole, it is more difficult to define the characteristics of literature, even if it is supposed to help ease the process
In terms of Literary Schools of Criticism, The Stargazer’s Sister would most obviously be analyzed under the schools of Feminism and Gender Studies. I say “obviously” because the story shows the main character’s struggle being the typical (and expected of the time) housewife figure of the household, and when Lina herself is recognized for her help with William and for her own discoveries of comets, she is supported by the King and the Royal Astronomical Society, but is still paid a lower sum compared to her own brother because she is a woman. With the story itself being about a woman’s journey through life and life’s hardships, The Stargazer’s Sister fills Laura van den Berg’s definition (human experience, adventure/journey) as well as Luke Goebel’s definition of literature—which he defined as a discussion about major issues in the world and society. The book also, as Molly McCully Brown defined, allowed the reader to experience someone else’s memories, as well as shown to the reader the complexity of a person and their being. Lina often went back and forth about her worth and her appearance throughout the story. The Stargazer’s Sister also has implicit and multiple meanings as well as “literary qualities”, as Lyas claims defines a work of literature. The use of astronomy, the stars and the moon were all used as metaphors throughout the story. It could be argued that with the slow recognition and discovery of space and the universe, Lina was also recognizing herself as a person and discovering her self-worth. The entire storyline about astronomy and space can be seen as an allegory for Lina herself all throughout the story. It can also be argued that with Carrie Brown’s decision to use third-person as the point-of-view in the story, that this