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Title Oppression of Women in Patriarchal Societies: An Analytical Study of Anita Shreve's Novels

Author(s) Abdul Waheed Qureshi

Abstract The intention of this study is to show how language is used to represent women’s oppression. Women are oppressed in patriarchal societies and this theme provides the theoretical framework for the study i.e. feminist theory, which is applied to the texts of two novels of contemporary American novelist Anita Shreve, namely All He Ever Wanted and Body Surfing. Text of the novels is represented with the view to see how certain linguistic features are meaningfully used to show women as an oppressed group and are denied their due rights. Analytical perspective of the study is post-structuralism, in which various meanings having ideological significance for women’s oppression are reached upon. A detailed discussion on the theoretical significance for the study with an extensive critical review of related literature has been provided with the aim to show how certain aspects of language show power, gender, identity, representation, and ideology, leading to women’s oppression. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used as methodology for the study and its significance for textual analysis is also highlighted. Norman Fairclough’s Three Dimensional Model (TDM) of CDA is used as strategy for the interpretation and analysis of text. Various paragraphs and dialogues covering different research questions from both the novels are analyzed under the treatment of Fairclough’s TDM. The analysis of each paragraph and dialogue is followed by critical discussion with a possible relation between language use and implied meanings, leading to women’s oppression. Interpretation and analysis of text is done to show how various textual and linguistic features are critically analyzed to outline their importance for the construction of social realities i.e. the seemingly neutral language is covertly and deliberately treated to oppress women; and how these realities are normatively coded in belief system and are taken for granted. The critical discussion is made in line with readers’ own conceptual world by referring to the commonsensical beliefs, to make them realize the ideological implications. Finally, the conclusion shows language a multi-dimensional process which socially oppresses women in various fields of life. The critical discussion reveals that such patriarchal oppression of women in narratives, is actually made real when applied to the society. The suggestions enable the reader to go ahead in the matter by basing his/her knowledge on the information gained so far.

Type Thesis/Dissertation PhD

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Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2016-01-01

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