The Worth of 'Currency' : Women in Melville's Pierre, or The Ambiguities and Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance
| Autor: | TAKAHASHI, Ai |
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| Jazyk: | japonština |
| Rok vydání: | 2008 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | 人間文化創成科学論叢. 10:135-142 |
| ISSN: | 1344-8013 |
| Popis: | application/pdf 紀要論文 In Herman Melville's Pierre and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, there are female characters that can be regarded as what Eve K. Sedgwick calls "currency." These women do not completely accept their assigned roles. They take advantage of their given roles and by so doing, destabilize a society where women are exchanged as "currency" to strengthen relationships between men. In Pierre Lucy is expected to marry the heir to Saddle Meadows for establishing a bond between the families. This means that Lucy has power to name the authentic successor to Saddle Meadows. When she shows her will, she conducts this power and nominates him for heir and confuses those who attempt to use her as "currency." In The Blithedale Romance, Priscilla moves around and helps male characters get in touch with Zenobia. Unlike Lucy, Priscilla does not refuse her given role as a subjugated woman, and her obedience looks ideal for a male-dominated society. Observing her role as "Veiled Lady" and her relationship with Hollingsworth, however, her femininity is problematic. Lucy destabilizes a male-dominated society by her defiance\ , and Priscilla undermines it by her femininity. Both of them have subversive power in a society which exploits women as "currency." |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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