ENGB35H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Puritans, Chisel
Document Summary
Engb35 lecture 3 little women discussion. Not straightforward puritan literature: sin social , c. f. etymology of moral : classical latin moralis concerned with ethics, morals. Beth is not an angel but a very human-like little girl . Alcott: i do it well because it pays well : never liked girls, or knew many, except my sisters, but our queer plays and experiences might prove interesting though i doubt it . Book deeply split between fantasies of rebellion and a proper moral message and a proper definition of womanhood. 3 ways the novel is read: straightforward moral text, reinforces conventional (conservative) social construction of femininity, radical text for its time, radical text because problematizes social constructions of gender to such an extent that it"s actually quite radical. Girl"s fiction tend to end more conservatory. Practicing how to become a proper woman. There was a saying : you may chisel a boy into shape but you cannot hammer a girl into anything.
