Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America

Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) managed to combine the dual role of being a woman and a writer in mid-twentieth century American society. This article seeks to unravel some of the intricacies behind this brittle balance. Despite and/or because of her condition as mother and professional her literary ach...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gustavo Vargas Cohen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UNIABEU 2011-12-01
Series:Revista e-scrita : Revista do Curso de Letras da UNIABEU
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.uniabeu.edu.br/publica/index.php/RE/article/viewFile/212/pdf_91
_version_ 1811282934288613376
author Gustavo Vargas Cohen
author_facet Gustavo Vargas Cohen
author_sort Gustavo Vargas Cohen
collection DOAJ
description Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) managed to combine the dual role of being a woman and a writer in mid-twentieth century American society. This article seeks to unravel some of the intricacies behind this brittle balance. Despite and/or because of her condition as mother and professional her literary achievements as a chronicler of the “Age of Anxiety” were laudable and therefore worthy of further investigation. To better understand the historical experience of professional women in that context, a review of post-war US, especially regarding gender roles, ensues not only as historical background but as methodological hotbed for literary analysis. Ms. Jackson’s literary practice helped raise the charges of feminism against her under the allegation of cultural subversion and social sedition. Finally, the question of whether she was indeed a feminist is debated taking intoconsideration her literary discourse, particularly the representations of female characters as discerningly portrayed in her fictional works, correlated to her social and historical milieu.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T02:01:32Z
format Article
id doaj.art-46fbb5dc2b68479f8aaaa0b6be02c6e2
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2177-6288
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T02:01:32Z
publishDate 2011-12-01
publisher UNIABEU
record_format Article
series Revista e-scrita : Revista do Curso de Letras da UNIABEU
spelling doaj.art-46fbb5dc2b68479f8aaaa0b6be02c6e22022-12-22T03:07:36ZengUNIABEURevista e-scrita : Revista do Curso de Letras da UNIABEU2177-62882011-12-01264861Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century AmericaGustavo Vargas CohenShirley Jackson (1916-1965) managed to combine the dual role of being a woman and a writer in mid-twentieth century American society. This article seeks to unravel some of the intricacies behind this brittle balance. Despite and/or because of her condition as mother and professional her literary achievements as a chronicler of the “Age of Anxiety” were laudable and therefore worthy of further investigation. To better understand the historical experience of professional women in that context, a review of post-war US, especially regarding gender roles, ensues not only as historical background but as methodological hotbed for literary analysis. Ms. Jackson’s literary practice helped raise the charges of feminism against her under the allegation of cultural subversion and social sedition. Finally, the question of whether she was indeed a feminist is debated taking intoconsideration her literary discourse, particularly the representations of female characters as discerningly portrayed in her fictional works, correlated to her social and historical milieu.http://www.uniabeu.edu.br/publica/index.php/RE/article/viewFile/212/pdf_91Shirley Jacksongender rolesliterary historiography.
spellingShingle Gustavo Vargas Cohen
Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America
Revista e-scrita : Revista do Curso de Letras da UNIABEU
Shirley Jackson
gender roles
literary historiography.
title Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America
title_full Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America
title_fullStr Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America
title_full_unstemmed Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America
title_short Shirley Jackson’s Literary Discourse and the Allegation of Feminism as Socio-Cultural Subversion in Mid-Twentieth Century America
title_sort shirley jackson s literary discourse and the allegation of feminism as socio cultural subversion in mid twentieth century america
topic Shirley Jackson
gender roles
literary historiography.
url http://www.uniabeu.edu.br/publica/index.php/RE/article/viewFile/212/pdf_91
work_keys_str_mv AT gustavovargascohen shirleyjacksonsliterarydiscourseandtheallegationoffeminismassocioculturalsubversioninmidtwentiethcenturyamerica