Chapter Three Theoretical Resources ................... 16
3.1 Beauvoir’s Views on Woman .............................. 17
3.1.1 Woman as the second sex ......................... 17
3.1.2 Woman’s immanence .......................... 18
Chapter Four Dimensions of Female Public Sphere in UtopianTrilogy . 32
4.1 Career Sphere: Female’s Strive for Emancipation and Transcendence .............................. 32
4.1.1 Motherhood and housekeeper as professions ............................ 32
4.1.2 Female as educators, foresters and government officials .......... 35
Chapter Five Structural and Functional Transformation of Female Public Sphere ........................... 53
5.1 Structural Transformation: Reinvention of Experiences and Feelings ............................. 53
5.1.1 Approval to androgynous trait .......................... 54
5.1.2 Emphasis on community mission ............................... 54
Chapter Five Structural and Functional Transformation of Female Public Sphere
5.1 Structural Transformation: Reinvention of Experiences and Feelings
People from different eras share different experiences and feelings. The differences can be easily detected in literary writings. Raymond Williams (1921-1988) makes comprehensive research on British novels in the nineteenth century, claiming these novels embody ―the characteristic response of a generation to the new and crushing experience of industrialism‖ (1960:95). In Williams‘ views, the structure of feelings is born out of the certain society condition of the conflict and tension between expressive stereotypes and new life experiences as well as between dominant values and new social feelings amid social and cultural change. Emerging from the conflicts and tension between females‘ pursuit for a better situation and males‘ impenitent suppression, the female public sphere naturally plays a role in reinventing social experiences and feelings.
Under the control of the patriarchal power, the female was stuck in the experiences and feelings of being wives and mothers, and the male experiences and feelings of being controllers. Experiences and feelings in this period are characterized by the binary opposition between females and males. In Gilman‘s utopian trilogy, however, with the elevation of female‘s social status, experiences and feelings in FPS are reinvented, which contributes to the structural transformation. Generally speaking, there are two main aspects of reinventing the experiences and feelings in the novels, namely the approval to androgynous trait and emphasis on community mission.
Chapter Six Conclusion
6.1 Research Findings
In Gilman‘s utopia trilogy, three female utopias are constructed respectively, of which With Her in Ourland is an acknowledged dystopia. The world in the novel is much the same as the real world, full of oppression and discipline for females, unlimited demands on the natural environment, and never-ending aggression against neighboring countries. In contrast, in Herland and Moving the Mountain, people live and work in peace and harmony with nature, and females are respected by all members of society, making unprecedented contributions to social progress. This thesis argues that establishing Gilman‘s female utopias owes much to the emergence of the female public sphere.
Firstly, the career sphere gave women the opportunity to develop their potential. From early childhood, females are educated in a way that is no different from that of males, their intellects and interests are fully developed, and in the process, they develop a complete understanding of their future careers. Thanks to the recognition and expansion of female‘s professions in society, they can participate in a wide range of public affairs and promote the development of all walks of life, gr
