Discrimination against women in novels?

Question

i have to make a speech on how women were treated unfairly in novels.. for example, lady macbeth and such.

do you have anymore novels where women were badly treated?

or any points that you would like to add?

Answer 1

There was the woman who was beaten by her husband in 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.

Answer 2

"Lolita" by Nabokov

"Crime and Punishment" by  Dostoevsky (the character Sonia)

"The Women's Room" by Marilyn French

"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson

"Possessing the Secret of Joy" by Alice Walker

Answer 3

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  She commits suicide by throwing herself underneath an oncoming train.

Answer 4

Loves Music, Loves to Dance!

Answer 5

I really think it's funny that those that don't get this question are wont to point out that novels are "fiction" and this is "complaining."

It's called analyzing literature. I guess no one has ever taken a college literature class. Or even a good high school literature class.

But to answer your question, "Madame Bovary," "The Scarlett Letter," "The Turn of the s***w," and "The Yellow Wallpaper," would be a good start. Just google these.

Answer 6

Macbeth was fiction

How exactly was any woman mistreated when most novels are based on the living standards of the time.

Answer 7

catch 22 by jospeh heller

I think whoever gave thumb down for this never read this novel.  Or may be its a sexist person

Answer 8

The novel was made up. Get over it. Complaining over stupid things like this. Whats your problem?

Answer 9

Lady MacBeth was not discriminated against, she is the main antagonist. She convinces MacBeth to kill King Duncan, thus sparking the whole war in the play.

I don't know any good examples for you, but I know Lady MacBeth is not one.

Answer 10

The Scarlet Letter is a classic representing this.

Answer 11

Sexism is so prevalent in our past, present, and probably future. I think some of the answerers are in denial of that. Novels reflect reality not 100% but at least somewhat. There are probably tons of novels to serve as samples of sexism. I'm assuming you're not talking about all novels in general but the percentage of them that do show sexism, which is not a sm. %age in my experience. Lots of classics reflect the idea that women are property meant to marry well and make their husbands happy. Modern romance novels are full of the idea that happiness is dependent upon having a male romantic partner. You could prob. pick up pretty much anyone of them and see this. Something that I noticed in modern romance novels is that the men seem almost all-knowing and the women who have made it alive into their 20's and beyond, once in the company of a romantic male partner are lost without them and prone to near-death incidents. In the length of a couple chapters they become so very dependent upon the leading man.

Best Wishes!

Answer 12

read ANy romance novel. You have the women usually are without backbones, and wait for men to give them something they have been missing. As if

Answer 13

Read 'The Scarlet Letter'...it should make you feel like a real victim...

Answer 14

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Answer 15

Novels, like any work of literature, dont count as discrimination, i'm allowed to have any opinion of women or any other group i want, as long as i'm not actively hurting them.(note i dont have a sexist view of women, just using myself as an example)

If we start censoring literature things start getting bad. Free speech and all that jazz.

Answer 16

Wendy g, the people who are complaining are also likely the same people who dismiss literature as being a waste of time and those who study it in college are getting a "useless degree". Their ignorance is pretty appalling.

Answer 17

Novels are like music. They are written by INDIVIDUAL people with INDIVIDUAL ideas. Thus, they don't count as "unfair" or "discriminatory".

Anyone can write a book about a woman getting abused if they choose to. I think its a waste of time worrying about novels.

Is this for a "Women's Studies" class?

If so...DROP IT... you don't need that twisted logic in your head. Those classes are all about the "victim mentality".

Answer 18

You can't discriminate in literature. Those are not real people. They are just characters.

To say that female antagonists are badly treated is assuming that women are infallible and never cause any harm. Lady Macbeth was a 'bad guy." She was immoral, far too ambitious and caused her own fate. That is not sexism, that is a character.

To say that is discrimination is like saying that it is sexist to call Lizzy Borden a murderer. It is sexism to say that women cannot be villains.

Answer 19

Dickens's women are notoriously flat characters, either idolized or demonized.