Men and Women in British Literature Essay - 1194 Words

The portrayal of men and women has varied in different stories throughout history. Many portray women as beautiful, deceptive, manipulative, and smart, while men are portrayed as being strong, masculine, and easily tricked. In many of the works covered in the course â€Å"Major British Writers to 1800,† men are advised to refrain from acting lustful, believed that it would harm their overall ability to succeed in whatever the characters aimed to do. An example of this is seen in â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† when Gawain is deceived by Lady Bertilak in an effort to prove that Sir Gawain is imperfect. The depictions of men and women are very similar in Fantomina by Eliza Haywood, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Phyllis and Aristotle. .†¦show more content†¦While Sir Gawain was nearly beheaded as was Aristotle in their stories, the result of the deception by Fantomina was an unplanned pregnancy. I feel that Haywood shows morality in this result becau se, unlike other works, the man is not punished for being deceived, with the only real trouble of Beauplaisir being that he knows of the existence of his child, which is an internal punishment for his actions. Beauplaisir being unpunished and having his name remain untarnished while Fantomina was sent to a monastery with her child is an example of how Haywood remained consistent with the portrayal of other works in regards to male and female portrayal while also distinguishing herself and her work from other works. The portrayal of women in Milton’s Paradise Lost is very different from the other works. While women are often seen as being deceitful, devious, and smart, the depiction of Eve is different as she is seen as being dumber and more inferior to Adam in all areas besides beauty. This portrayal of Eve assisted in the progression of Paradise Lost as Eve ate the forbidden apple after being persuaded by Satan to eat the apple. While the incident caused Adam to also disobey God, it created a bond between Adam and Eve that was greater than before the incident when they were considered pure. The bond between Adam and Eve that is improved through the learning of new emotions, trying new things, and theShow MoreRelatedRole of Women in WWI1712 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Role of Women in WWI Abstract During the World War I, effective propaganda and publicity was used by Britain and its allies to create patriotism, recruit new soldiers, and raise funds and to justify for going on war against the enemy. Women played an important role in influencing the propaganda of World War I. Literature, music, cinema, posters and postcards were used in order to promote the war and justify its cause by Britain and its allies. World War I had a massive impact in Europe andRead MoreThe Role Of Women In Literature1587 Words   |  7 Pagesfeelings that they have. Majority of the time these feelings are expressed through literature. An example is the archetypes that can be found throughout literature. In the British Middle Ages, the people were grouped into different social classes using the feudal system. Society was mainly broken into two separate groups, the nobles, and the peasants. However, there was also a subset group, which maintained the women. Women were the lowest of the low because they were considered to be evil because ofRead MoreWilliam Chaucer s The Wife Of Bath1347 Words   |  6 Pages Women Progressing Over the years, some may argue that literature has progressed into a better manner or for the worst. In British literature, motifs vary throughout the multiple time periods, such as the Anglo-Saxon Era, Medieval Era, to the Age of Reason period; moreover, motifs have changed out of the regular and accustomed angelic Christian that has to repent and believe in God. British literature begins to introduce a new archetype for women that writers follow in stories by describing themRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Dream Of The Rood, Beowulf, And The Canterbury Tales Essay1414 Words   |  6 PagesAll literature evolves throughout time due to the changes in culture and lifestyle of the society during a particular era. Authors are influenced by the beliefs of the nation, events, struggles, and politics of the time period. These influences can be clearly or subtly shown in the works of those authors of the age. The British culture is one of the many types that reflects such rich history a nd customs packed into its literature. The foundation of much British literature that integrated the conventionRead MoreThe Romantic Period and the Victorian Age in Great Britain Essays1193 Words   |  5 Pages(1785-1830) was a very turbulent period, during which England experienced the ordeal of change from a primarily agricultural society to a modern industrial nation. French Revolution and storming of the Bastille had a great influence on English society and literature. It influenced almost every sphere of life. The Victorian Age (1830-1901) was a period of great progress and prosperity for the nation. This was a period in which industry, technology, and science were celebrated with renewed vigor. Because ofRead MoreFeminism In Gimba Kakandas A Letter To My Unborn Daughter1054 Words   |  5 Pagesour ribs to be chained into marital slavery. Feminism, as evinced in Kakandas letter, is a particularly urgent issue in the genre of world literature. In countries with a history of colonialism, those who are able to speak and who they speak for are vitally important questions. In fact, many parallels exist between the colonialism and the oppression of women: language, participation, and land. Because of the inherent connection postcolonialism and feminism, many writers of the International WritingRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Romantics: William Blake and Mary Wollstonecraft1041 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Blake sets out to do the same for children. Both Blake and Wollstonecraft can be read by the average man and woman, lending its attention toward both upper and middle class. Wollstonecraft’s revolutionary themes of tyranny and oppression of women parallel the themes in Blake’s poetry of the tyranny and oppression of children; hence, leading the reader to the Romantic notion of empathy. Wollstonecraft’s use of nonfiction prose for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman sets her apart from theRead MoreJessie Pope War Women Analysis1582 Words   |  7 Pageshave greatly impacted modern British literature in the 20th century. There were many poems written about the period of war; some showed them in a positive light and some negative. Gender roles, gender relations on what means to be a man or a woman impacted greatly during this time. In particular with World War I, women in large numbers took over jobs in the homeland while the men were out fighting. Questions on what is femininity and what is masculinity were on the rise. Men were constantly fed withRead MoreThe Importance Of Romanticism1046 Words   |  5 Pagesvalue even to this day. That aspect being the expansive amount of literature created during the era. The era of Romanticism had its name for a reason. It can be greatly attributed to the romantic style or genre of literature that defined the period. Romantic writers wove many tales of admiration, longing, and aspirations. They were fantastical, in a sen se, and almost the antithesis of realism, even. Amidst the great breadth of literature during the era, one genre in particular stood out from the othersRead MoreEssay on The Power of Education: Mary Wollstonecraft1156 Words   |  5 PagesWollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft believed that there was more that women could do to improve the way they were view’d by society. The work that was produced by Wollstonecraft improved immensely the roles of women. The roles of women in the 18th century were very limited, women had no voice, â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Women† was the reason for the change in social roles. The fact that Wollstonecraft was able to have such an impact on all these women, and express that they truly played an important role on