[DOWNLOAD] "But Who is "She"?: Forms of Subjectivity in Walter Pater's Writings." by Nineteenth-Century Prose ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: But Who is "She"?: Forms of Subjectivity in Walter Pater's Writings.
- Author : Nineteenth-Century Prose
- Release Date : January 22, 1997
- Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 253 KB
Description
In the past decade, commentators have concentrated on the complexities of male subjectivity and masculinity within Pater's writings. This essay suggests why, and how, Pater utilizes female figures to probe the historicity of identity, the emotional resonances of religious narratives, and the possibilities of cultural rejuvenation. Granted, the texts do not "bend" female figures beyond existing gender boundaries; with one great exception, they do not offer a reorganization of cultural symbols and signifying practices. Many texts reproduce the gender determinism of their day. But what might appear to be misogyny is not. When working closely with unfamiliar mythic materials, or probing the contrast between obscurity and renown, Pater's writings reveal a refreshing sensitivity to gender and its cultural implications. Concentrating on "The Myth of Demeter and Persephone" and "A Prince of Court Painters," the second half of the article addresses the extent to which Pater reproduces dominant Victorian discourses on femininity, how he transforms various elements of gender ideology into his own literary effects, and his pre-feminist interests in a matriarchal figure of empowerment. From the mid-1870s until the mid-1880s, Pater's engagement with female signifiers prompted an impressive breadth of writing activities and generic experimentation. **********