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Reclaiming the Goddess: Contemporary American Women Writers' Negotiation of Religious Patriarchy

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Date Issued:
2008
Abstract/Description:
Ecofeminist theory exposes the androcentric monopoly of meaning-making and its resulting oppression of women, people of color, and the earth. Because women have been marginalized in historical and religious discourses, these theorists emphasize the need for women to develop an alternative, inclusive worldview that rejects binary, hierarchical thought. Like feminist theorists, Contemporary American women writers have also tackled the patriarchal oppression of Christianity and the omission of women's historical contributions in their fiction. In their works, authors like Toni Morrison, Linda Hogan, and Julia Alvarez have reimagined women's history by fictionalizing historical events. Despite racial differences, all three authors similarly detail the oppressive nature of the patriarchal worldview, reject binary thought, and utilize goddess figures as catalysts for awakening female consciousness. By detailing the characters' shift in consciousness, these novels act as a form of consciousnessraising for their readers, and can therefore be considered activist texts.
Title: Reclaiming the Goddess: Contemporary American Women Writers' Negotiation of Religious Patriarchy.
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Name(s): Dowbnia, Renee
Xu, Wenying, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2008
Date Issued: 2008
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 117 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Ecofeminist theory exposes the androcentric monopoly of meaning-making and its resulting oppression of women, people of color, and the earth. Because women have been marginalized in historical and religious discourses, these theorists emphasize the need for women to develop an alternative, inclusive worldview that rejects binary, hierarchical thought. Like feminist theorists, Contemporary American women writers have also tackled the patriarchal oppression of Christianity and the omission of women's historical contributions in their fiction. In their works, authors like Toni Morrison, Linda Hogan, and Julia Alvarez have reimagined women's history by fictionalizing historical events. Despite racial differences, all three authors similarly detail the oppressive nature of the patriarchal worldview, reject binary thought, and utilize goddess figures as catalysts for awakening female consciousness. By detailing the characters' shift in consciousness, these novels act as a form of consciousnessraising for their readers, and can therefore be considered activist texts.
Identifier: FA00000912 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Subject(s): Feminist literary criticism.
Women and literature.
American literature--Women authors--Criticism and interpretation.
Patriarchy--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Feminism--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000912
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.