EXPLICATING FEMALE BODY AS A GEOGRAPHY OF MEMORY: THE COMPARATIVE SILENT REBELLION OF THE PSYCHE IN CHOPIN AND HAWTHORNE
Abstract
What is both ideological and magical about ‘memory’ is the fact that it is both singular
and plural which acts as a bridge between the personal and the collective. The example of
that kind of a bridge is especially represented through literature. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet
Letter (1850) and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), the female body is used as a text to
reflect both cultural and personal memory and to define how ‘memory’ is tried to be shaped
by the society. One of America’s first mass-published books, The Scarlet Letter’s protagonist
Hester Prynne illuminates the geography of the female body that rebels against the cultural
memory through wearing the letter ‘A’ on her gown at all times that signifies ‘adultery.’
On the other hand, her silent rebellion has achieved to transform the letter ‘A’ into ‘Angel,’
‘Artist,’ ‘Art,’ and ‘Able’ that is the declaration of independence of the personal memory
over the cultural. Like Hester, in order to escape from the limitations of the cultural memory,
Edna Pontellier in The Awakening rebels against cultural memory and learns to swim in the
ocean and focuses on art which immediately overlap the definition of her role in life. The
comparative analysis of both of the works underline the fact that the female body has been
used as a geography of cultural memory throughout the history. However, Hester and Edna
are significant for the fact that, the psychic device of both women is a silent rebellion which
creates a social space to fight against cultural memory.
References
- Benstock, S. (2000). The Scarlet Letter (a)dorée, or the Female Body Embroidered. 396- 411.
- Miller, P. (1939). The New England Mind. The Seventeenth Century. Massachusetts: Harvard UP.
- Chedgzoy, K. (2007). Introduction to Gender. In Whitehead, A., Rossingtom M. (Eds.), Theories of Memory A Reader. Edinburgh UP., Edinburgh.
- Chopin, Kate (1972). The Awekening. Braodway: Avon Books.
- Fiedler, L. (1996). Love and Death in the American Novel. New York: Stein and Day.
- Hammond, J. (2000). The American Puritan Elegy. A Literary and Cultural Study. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
- Haug, F. and Others. (1999). Female Sexualization. A Collective Work of Memory. London: Verso.
- Hirsch, M., Smith, V. (2007). From Feminism and Cultural Memory: An Introduction. In Whitehead, A., Rossingtom M. Theories of Memory A Reader. Edinburgh UP., Edinburgh.
- Kammen, M. (1990). People of Paradox. An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization. New York: Cornell UP.
- Kibbey, A. (1986). The Interpretation of Material Shapes in Puritanism. A study of rhetoric, prejudice, and violence. New York: Cambridge UP.
- King, N. (2000). Memory, Narrative, Identity. Remembering the Self. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP.
- Kuhn, A. (2007). A Journey through Memory. In Susanna Radstone (ed.), Memory and Methodology (pp. 179-197). New York: Berg.
- Kuhn, A. (2007). A Journey through Memory. In Susanna Radstone (ed.).Rossington, Lewis, R.W.B. (1955). The American Adam. Innocence Tragedy and Tradition in the Nineteenth Century. London: Chicago UP.
- Morrill, J. (2003). A Liberation Theology? Aspects of Puritanism in the English Revolution. In Laura Lunger Knoppers. (Ed.), Puritanism and Its Discontents. (pp.27-49). New Jersey. University of Delaware Press.
- Murfin, C.R. (2000) (2nd ed.). In Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical, Historical, and Cultural Contexts, Critical History, and essays from Contemporary Critical Perspectives (pp. 396-411). Boston: Bedford /St. Martin’s.
- Pryse, M.(1979). THE MARK AND THE KNOWLEDGE. Social Stigma in Classic American Fiction. Miami: Miami UP.
- Radstone, S. (2000). (ed.) Memory and Methodology. New York: Berg.
- Ruland, R., Bradburry, M. (2016). From Puritanism to Postmodernism. New York: Routledge Classics.
- Showalter, E. (1991). Sisters’ Choice. Tradition and Change in American Women’s Writing. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Wittig, M. (1985). Les guerilles. Boston: Beacon. 110-11.
Abstract
References
- Benstock, S. (2000). The Scarlet Letter (a)dorée, or the Female Body Embroidered. 396- 411.
- Miller, P. (1939). The New England Mind. The Seventeenth Century. Massachusetts: Harvard UP.
- Chedgzoy, K. (2007). Introduction to Gender. In Whitehead, A., Rossingtom M. (Eds.), Theories of Memory A Reader. Edinburgh UP., Edinburgh.
- Chopin, Kate (1972). The Awekening. Braodway: Avon Books.
- Fiedler, L. (1996). Love and Death in the American Novel. New York: Stein and Day.
- Hammond, J. (2000). The American Puritan Elegy. A Literary and Cultural Study. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
- Haug, F. and Others. (1999). Female Sexualization. A Collective Work of Memory. London: Verso.
- Hirsch, M., Smith, V. (2007). From Feminism and Cultural Memory: An Introduction. In Whitehead, A., Rossingtom M. Theories of Memory A Reader. Edinburgh UP., Edinburgh.
- Kammen, M. (1990). People of Paradox. An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization. New York: Cornell UP.
- Kibbey, A. (1986). The Interpretation of Material Shapes in Puritanism. A study of rhetoric, prejudice, and violence. New York: Cambridge UP.
- King, N. (2000). Memory, Narrative, Identity. Remembering the Self. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP.
- Kuhn, A. (2007). A Journey through Memory. In Susanna Radstone (ed.), Memory and Methodology (pp. 179-197). New York: Berg.
- Kuhn, A. (2007). A Journey through Memory. In Susanna Radstone (ed.).Rossington, Lewis, R.W.B. (1955). The American Adam. Innocence Tragedy and Tradition in the Nineteenth Century. London: Chicago UP.
- Morrill, J. (2003). A Liberation Theology? Aspects of Puritanism in the English Revolution. In Laura Lunger Knoppers. (Ed.), Puritanism and Its Discontents. (pp.27-49). New Jersey. University of Delaware Press.
- Murfin, C.R. (2000) (2nd ed.). In Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical, Historical, and Cultural Contexts, Critical History, and essays from Contemporary Critical Perspectives (pp. 396-411). Boston: Bedford /St. Martin’s.
- Pryse, M.(1979). THE MARK AND THE KNOWLEDGE. Social Stigma in Classic American Fiction. Miami: Miami UP.
- Radstone, S. (2000). (ed.) Memory and Methodology. New York: Berg.
- Ruland, R., Bradburry, M. (2016). From Puritanism to Postmodernism. New York: Routledge Classics.
- Showalter, E. (1991). Sisters’ Choice. Tradition and Change in American Women’s Writing. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Wittig, M. (1985). Les guerilles. Boston: Beacon. 110-11.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Linguistics |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | May 15, 2017 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2017 Volume: 23 Issue: 90 |
Journal website: https://folkloredebiyat.org
The journal’s publication languages are both English and Turkish. Also despite articles in Turkish, the title, abstract, and keywords are also in English. Turkish articles approved by the reviewers are required to submit an extended summary (750-1000 words) in English.
The journal is indexed by TR-Dizin, Web of Science (ESCI), DOAJ, and many other indexes and datebases.
Within the scope of TR DIZIN 2020 Ethical Criteria and as of the year 2020, studies requiring ethics committee approval must indicate Ethics Committee Approval details (committe-date-issue) in the article’s methods section. With this in mind, we request from our author candidates to edit their article accordingly before sending it to the journal.
Field EdItors
Folklore:
Prof.Dr. Hande Birkalan-Gedik
(Frankfurt University- birkalan-gedik@em.uni.frankfurt.de)
Prof. Dr. Arzu Öztürkmen
(Bosphorus University- ozturkme@boun.edu.tr)
Edebiyat-Literature
Prof. Dr. G. Gonca Gökalp Alpaslan (Hacettepe University - ggonca@
hacettepe.edu.tr)
Prof. Dr. Ramazan Korkmaz
(President, Caucasus University Association- r_korkmaz@hotmail.com)
Antropoloji-Anthropology
Prof. Dr. Akile Gürsoy
(Beykent University - gursoyakile@gmail.com)
Prof.Dr. Serpil Aygün Cengiz
(Ankara University - serpilayguncengiz@gmail.com)
Dil-Dilbilim/Linguistics
Prof.Dr. Aysu Erden
(Maltepe University - aysuerden777@gmail.com)
Prof. Dr. V. Doğan Günay
(Dokuz Eylul University- dogan.gunay@deu.edu.tr)