Herland (part 2)

Today, we finished the 2nd half of Herland.
One of the key concepts was the idea of feminine/femininity as a social construction (female = sex, femininity = socially constructed gender). I showed you several video clips of people of one sex, performing the gender of another.

The idea in Herland is that the women of that land do not display femininity because their culture has not constructed it. There are no men to occupy the good traits (e.g. strong, capable, rational) forcing the women to take the opposing traits (e.g. weak, fragile, emotional). Instead, women have all traits and think of themselves "as people," rather than as women.

In preparation for your analysis paper, I emphasized my recommendation that you use a concrete object to draw out meaning. I showed you my own first draft of the use of the necklace in Herland. Analysis of Herland (sample Draft 1). Please note that this is a very rough draft. It will change a lot before it is a finished paper. But it is a good start.

Please remember that we will have an Analysis Paper Workshop on Monday November 16, at 7pm in C301.
Bring your topics/concrete objects, your thesis statements, and at least 3 quotes from the text that support your claim.

For next Thursday (November 19), we are not meeting as a class, but having an online discussion (available on Bb). You need to read Barthelme's "I Bought a Little City," a utopian short story.

• By Tuesday (Nov 17), please post your thesis about this story (thesis = subject + claim).
• By Thursday (Nov 19), please provide at least 2 detailed responses to someone else's thesis. The goal is to start and participate in conversations.

For the following week (Thursday, November 26), please read and respond to Carter's short story "In the Company of Wolves." Be prepared for another in-class quiz.