Female Roles And Sacrifice in Political Drama and Film: A Comparative Study Of ‘DEATH and Maiden’ and ‘THE Father’ From A Feminist Perspective
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The growing interest in gender issues, relationships, family constructs etc
can be seen in academia and elsewhere. The power of literary texts, plays,
films and dramas in the formation and perception of women’s images is
immense. These perceptions change with time and ideology. Change in
ideology, always mark a paradigm shift in the way we understand and
interpret social, economic and political agendas. The introduction of Marxist
ideology in a society is an example.
The theoretical feminist framework is established in the second chapter. It
covers core issues like the concept of women as the ‘other’, the underlying
mechanism of patriarchy inherent in society, and radical feminism. An
emphasis is further made on Marxist as well as Black/African feminist
thought. These two aspects of feminism add a class and race element to the
issues raised.
Feminist literary criticism attempts to explain how representations in literary
texts are at odds with women’s experiences. The ‘images of women’ school of
thought, by analyzing and dissecting literary works explains how the actual
lives and experiences of women is lacking. Gynocritcism, on the other hand
suggests that women’s writing should be the central concern for critical
analysis. Feminist film theory is also concerned with the contradictory
representations of the actual lives of women versus what is presented in
cinema. Psychological and Marxist feminist theory attempts an explanation to
the how and why of this disparity.
This research focuses on two genres, a film and a play to show how they are
used in the portrayal of men and women within a socialist setting. The film
chosen is the ‘Father’ and the play is “Death and the Maiden’. A central issue
in both of them is the issue of sexual abuse and rape. The power relationship
between men and women as portrayed in the two media is examined. Using
feminist as well as film theories as theoretical tools an attempt is made to
examine, the roles and sacrifice of men and women in societies that are going
through a transition.
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Study Of ‘DEATH and Maiden’ and ‘THE Father’ From A Feminist