从女性主义角度看嘉莉妹妹的成长历程(3)
In the middle of 19th century, more and more women became professional writers, and more and more female readers relied on the works of women writers. Therefore, it had formed a unique characteristic and special style of female writers, and the artistry of women had appeared step by step. In that period of time, the proportion of American women writers was much higher than Britain’s.
The feminist literature has great significance in view of the awareness of women’s hope and despair. Feminism contributes to an understanding of women’s lives by focusing on their experiences, sufferings, and history. They see traditional historical views of women are based on theories proposed by men in a patriarchal society. These historical viewpoints often place women in roles that have been defined and stereotyped for them by men.
Feminists are also concerned with obtaining equal rights for women. In the patriarchal society, women are not considered as full persons but possessions of their fathers and husbands, who maintained the legal right to control any property holdings that women have. An ideal feminist state would allow absolute freedom for everybody to determine and pursue their own interests without interference from other inpiduals or institutions.
“A decade from 1855 to 1865 was the age of ‘American Women Renaissance’” (Butler, 1990: 122). These writers mostly concentrate on women's daily lives and the stories reflect women’s self-reliance and self-development. The way women read women’s image seems to be more realistic and profound, therefore is an undeniable further step in judging and interpreting women in literature.