Musings on Gender
So, I've got to plan a disseratation in about three weeks. I've decided to do it on some kind of feminist take of Defoe's Moll Flanders, looking at Moll's voice. It's a really fascinating issue for me, particularly as I'm writing a first person novel in a female voice (or trying!).
Actually, I was in class with a feminist trying to get her head around it. It was quite funny. Whether Defoe's making Moll logical and less emotionally driven and therefore quite male-like, and if so whether that's patriarchical oppression by trying to kill the feminine, but then, isn't assuming women aren't logical and feeling-orientated also patriarchical oppression, in which case, Defore isn't being oppressive... but gorram it, he's a man writing a women, OF COURSE IT'S OPPRESSION.
*chuckles*
Anyway, so, I sat down in the library this afternoon and looked up the major feminist or gender-orientated texts. And while they were quite interesting, I was astounded by the degree of technical jargon being used. There were some generally interesting points. People tend to think in oppositions. A woman is "not a man". Especially if you read Freud, a woman is anatomically less than masculinity. Obviously, femininity is not the absence of masculinity. It's not the darkness to a male light. But there does seem to be a mentality that things this way.
Equally, there is an opposition, as I hinted above, between, rationality and feeling. That's a blooming prevalent opposition. Men think, women feel.
I don't really want to conduct an exhaustive study into whether men do rely on thought more, because it's unnecessary. It's blatantly obvious that both sexes both think AND feel. And different people do one or the other to differing degrees.
And that hints at something, femininity, or what we label as such, is a force of its own, with a power that is vital. And its, in my opinion, vital to both sexes. I think society tells us what we should be too much. If ones a boy, one has to be strong. You can't cry. You can't exhibit feminine traits. You're not allowed to secretly like soppy movies.
And for a girl, well, I don't know, but feminists certainly provide a great many examples of the way society imposes walls on women. I think the most horrible one I've seen is guilt, particularly about sex or sexuality. In some shape or form, it tells women to feel guilty if they kiss too many boys or take too much pleasure in sexuality. I really, really hate that.
Society seems to have an inordinate fear of people crossing gender boundaries. A man with feminine traits is likely to be ostracised and picked on. A woman with masculine traits may well be seen as unfeminine and therefore unattractive.
And I do honestly think that we both have male and female voices within us. Jung says that our soul shadow, the Anima/Animus, is the opposite sex to ourselves. An often repressed inner voice that wants to speak truth to us. There's also the old saying that every man is a little bit homosexual - and homosexuality is often associated with feminine traits, no doubt one reason why its so feared by heterosexual men.
I've been a lot happier over the past few months and I'm beginning to think that's because I've found some kind of balance between male and female parts to myself. This is symbolised, for me, with the fact that I've started giggling in public. Lucius Malfoy (or a mod playing him) once said to me that, "real men don't go 'hee'!" Well, going "hee!" is fun. It's a brilliant exortation of pleasure and amusement.
And what made me happiest was a girl at work commenting on it, saying: "That laugh... it makes you sound..." I sighed, waiting for the inevitable "girly", but instead she grinned and said, "cheeky", which I thought was really cool.
Of course, what got me thinking along this path the most wasn't the academic texts I'd been reading, it was a blog entry that I found while doing some internet research. It's a girl talking about her own sexuality, gender and relationships. She's bisexual and in a long-term loving relationship with a person who was born female, but believes himself to be a man in mind and heart. It's one of the most intelligent, thought-provoking blogs I've ever read.
I would link it, but I'm cautious to bombard people with material that they may be uncomfortable with. If anyone wants the link, feel free to comment and ask for it.
But anyway, what do other people think about gender? I am curious. And I have a dissertation to write. Is there such a thing as a "female voice"? When someone talks about "feminine" is that something that exists unchangeably inside or is it something that society creates? Something one learns from family and friends?
And does gender matter at all? Should we think of ourselves as just people?
Actually, I was in class with a feminist trying to get her head around it. It was quite funny. Whether Defoe's making Moll logical and less emotionally driven and therefore quite male-like, and if so whether that's patriarchical oppression by trying to kill the feminine, but then, isn't assuming women aren't logical and feeling-orientated also patriarchical oppression, in which case, Defore isn't being oppressive... but gorram it, he's a man writing a women, OF COURSE IT'S OPPRESSION.
*chuckles*
Anyway, so, I sat down in the library this afternoon and looked up the major feminist or gender-orientated texts. And while they were quite interesting, I was astounded by the degree of technical jargon being used. There were some generally interesting points. People tend to think in oppositions. A woman is "not a man". Especially if you read Freud, a woman is anatomically less than masculinity. Obviously, femininity is not the absence of masculinity. It's not the darkness to a male light. But there does seem to be a mentality that things this way.
Equally, there is an opposition, as I hinted above, between, rationality and feeling. That's a blooming prevalent opposition. Men think, women feel.
I don't really want to conduct an exhaustive study into whether men do rely on thought more, because it's unnecessary. It's blatantly obvious that both sexes both think AND feel. And different people do one or the other to differing degrees.
And that hints at something, femininity, or what we label as such, is a force of its own, with a power that is vital. And its, in my opinion, vital to both sexes. I think society tells us what we should be too much. If ones a boy, one has to be strong. You can't cry. You can't exhibit feminine traits. You're not allowed to secretly like soppy movies.
And for a girl, well, I don't know, but feminists certainly provide a great many examples of the way society imposes walls on women. I think the most horrible one I've seen is guilt, particularly about sex or sexuality. In some shape or form, it tells women to feel guilty if they kiss too many boys or take too much pleasure in sexuality. I really, really hate that.
Society seems to have an inordinate fear of people crossing gender boundaries. A man with feminine traits is likely to be ostracised and picked on. A woman with masculine traits may well be seen as unfeminine and therefore unattractive.
And I do honestly think that we both have male and female voices within us. Jung says that our soul shadow, the Anima/Animus, is the opposite sex to ourselves. An often repressed inner voice that wants to speak truth to us. There's also the old saying that every man is a little bit homosexual - and homosexuality is often associated with feminine traits, no doubt one reason why its so feared by heterosexual men.
I've been a lot happier over the past few months and I'm beginning to think that's because I've found some kind of balance between male and female parts to myself. This is symbolised, for me, with the fact that I've started giggling in public. Lucius Malfoy (or a mod playing him) once said to me that, "real men don't go 'hee'!" Well, going "hee!" is fun. It's a brilliant exortation of pleasure and amusement.
And what made me happiest was a girl at work commenting on it, saying: "That laugh... it makes you sound..." I sighed, waiting for the inevitable "girly", but instead she grinned and said, "cheeky", which I thought was really cool.
Of course, what got me thinking along this path the most wasn't the academic texts I'd been reading, it was a blog entry that I found while doing some internet research. It's a girl talking about her own sexuality, gender and relationships. She's bisexual and in a long-term loving relationship with a person who was born female, but believes himself to be a man in mind and heart. It's one of the most intelligent, thought-provoking blogs I've ever read.
I would link it, but I'm cautious to bombard people with material that they may be uncomfortable with. If anyone wants the link, feel free to comment and ask for it.
But anyway, what do other people think about gender? I am curious. And I have a dissertation to write. Is there such a thing as a "female voice"? When someone talks about "feminine" is that something that exists unchangeably inside or is it something that society creates? Something one learns from family and friends?
And does gender matter at all? Should we think of ourselves as just people?