Theory, whether realized or not, plays a big role in how we perceive the world and the constructs in it. What is theory and how does it affect humans and the world we live in? Theory is hard to assign a single definition to because of the vastness and complexity of its nature, but John G. Wacker sums up the idea of theory in his journal , "A definition of theory: research guidelines for different theory-building research methods in operations management". He states, "Generally, academics point to a theory as being made up of four components, 1. Definitions of terms or variables, 2. a domain where the theory applies, 3. a set of relationships of variables, and 4. specific predictions and factual claims"(363). How does theory affect humans and the world we live in? Again, summed up by Wacker, he states, "Theories care- fully outline the precise definitions in a specific domain to explain why and how the relationships are logically tied so that the theory gives specific predictions"(363-364). Theories are used to help us better understand different parts of the world and better grasp how they function as well as the reason they function in that way. There are many domains that theory lives in, but a few big ones include scientific theories, social theories, and recently becoming more popular: literary theories.
In his book Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Jonathan Culler defines literary theory as “the systematic account of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing it”(1). Once we open our eyes to literary theories and the information these theories hold, the effects are everlasting. Literary theories grant us with multiple new and different ways to view and interpret literature. These new lenses create a lifetime of opportunities as we can interpret literature in many ways, opening our minds to more than just what we know. Now the stories and characters have limitless bounds as we can explore all they entail and represent. There are many theories that apply to literature, a few examples being queer theory, disability theory, structuralism, and psychoanalysis. All giving a different take on any selected text, for example a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides. Disability theory may look at the mental status of the Lisbon sisters, proposing that their minds were crippled by depression. Psychoanalysis may take a different approach, a psychoanalyst may look at the neighborhood boys and how they obsess over the Lisbon sisters and propose that maybe, the author had an underlying personal cause for making the boys obsess over the Lisbon sisters. All these theories could apply to the book and bring a new light to the story, but one that intertwines so tightly with this novel is the feminist theory.
Feminist theory encompasses the spirit of theory in which the ground it attempts to cover is complex and vast. On October 22, 2018, Dr. Tori Pearman gave a definition during her lecture that really captivated the message and the goal of feminist theory in literature. She defined feminist theory in literature as, "Literary criticism that critiques patriarchal language and literature by exposing how these reflect masculine ideology. It examines gender politics and traces the subtle construction of masculinity and femininity as well as heteronormativity in texts"(Pearman, October 22, 2018). Feminist theory in literature came in two waves, the first being the representation and appreciation of the female author. During this wave the fight to get female authors the recognition and respect they deserve was on. But getting people to ditch their old norms and ideologies were not easy. Women had not been allowed to participate in the arts or scholarly work for so long they were still vastly looked down upon. The second wave looked to destroy expected gender roles in literature. They fought that gender is not a natural construct that men and women should conform too. Today, feminist theory literature is represented in many strands that fight for many different things. But the overall message stays the same; the fight for equality in expectations and representation in literature. Feminist theory in literature changes the way we look at both gender and literature, which in return, transfers to the way we view these things in other places.
Many people have contributed to the study of these questions and the field of feminist theory, but a few names stick out from the rest. Judith Butler is one of those names. Judith Butler is an American theorist who has prominent works in many theoretical fields. These fields include queer theory, feminist theory, and political philosophy. Now, 62 years old, Butler has made a huge impact in these and many other areas of theory. Through her studies and tireless efforts, Butler has pushed the bounds of gender and what gender truly means. One of her biggest contributions to feminist theory is in form of a book called, GENDER TROUBLE: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. In this book Butler works to refuse the idea of what a female is as created by society and separate this idea of the female from feminist theories. Ideologically, Butlers most prominent work in feminist theory is the idea of separating the pushed gender roles of women from their value and identities.
Another feminist theorist whose name sticks out from the rest is bell hooks. bell hooks is also an American theorist who has made many theoretical contributions. hooks has explored many parts of the feminist theory, but some of her biggest contributions include her study of the evolution of the feminist theory, which she does on her book, Feminist Theory from Margin to Center. Another focus of hooks she explores in her book, Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics. In this book she fights that feminism is a movement for men and women alike and if men and women don't jointledly fight for these causes, our world will never fully be extinct of sexist tendencies. hooks main focus through her collection of writings and ideologies is the idea that feminism is not only a womans fight and if we do not come together, equality will never prevail.
Lastly, another theorist that impacted the feminist movement, in and out of literature, is Gayatri Spivak. Spivak is a theorist from India who main focuses are in feminist movements and literary theories. One of Spivak's most well known and influential works is a book by the title Can the Subaltern Speak? In this book she outlines western tendencies and their relation to the minority and gender. Many of Spivak's works focus not only on gender but also the minority, and how gender roles around the world differ. hooks, Butler, and Spivak are just a few of of the many feminist theorists, but all three of their works in the field are groundbreaking and enhance the cause they fight for.
Feminist theory in literature works to recognize, critique, and change the way gender is represented in literature. Through the waves of the feminist literary movement, the strands of feminist literary studies, and the theorists who contributed to the cause, readers can acquire new knowledge to help them become more critical readers and see the world through a different set of lens.
When feminist theory is applied to literature, many new details that may have not been noticed before seem to unveil themselves. As previously mentioned, feminist theory closely connects with the novel, The Virgin Suicides, By Jeffrey Eugenides. In this novel, gender presents itself in unusual ways while exploring the societal preconceived notions of gender. This book explores many sides of gender and the effects that the gender roles have on the characters.
As the book begins, we are promptly introduced to the Lisbon family containing Mr. Lisbon, Mrs. Lisbon, Lux, Bonnie, Cecelia, Mary, and Therese. At the beginning of the novel, it is said that the fives girls range from ages thirteen to seventeen, which gives a large representation of the different stages in the process of puberty. It is apparent that Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon do not represent their typica societal roles of the household, as Mrs. Lisbon is the strict disciplinary and head of the house. Mr. Lisbon is portrayed as the softer one and the one who cares for the girls feelings. Though portrayed in "swapped" gender roles in comparison to tradition, both parents play a role in the rapid decline of the girls and the household. Just through the initial introduction of the characters, a sense of wrongness is present. A sense of wrongness that follows the girls to their demise.
Throughout the novel we see the five Lisbon sisters fall victim to the pressures of society. More specifically, we see the Lisbon sisters fall victim to the pressure of gender roles that society imposes on them. The roles are shown to be expected by both the girls parents and the neighborhood boys who observe them. To add another layer to the girls already conflicted minds, the expectations coming from the boys and the girls parents, are conflicting.
The neighborhood boys, who narrate the story, constantly watch the girls. Their lives revolve around the lives and the actions of the girls. The boys take on many roles on the story. First off, they are a representation of the dynamic between women and men, as society sees it. The boys use the girls, as entertainment and as fantasy. They use the sisters like objects or possessions, that they own, and/or have the right to watch as they do. This falls back on the previously thought idea that men owned women, which sadly, is still a believed notion today in many parts of the world. By watching the sisters and infringing on their privacy, the boys are suggesting that the sisters have no right to privacy.
The boys also take on another role in the story, a much bigger role. The boys represent societal pressures and expectations for the girls. The boys watch and lust after the girls. They look at them as objects to lust over or fantasize about. Not as human beings with emotions or an identity in society that is not their sexual appeal. The boys further imprison the girls with their thoughts. They even admit that they knew little to nothing about the girls, besides their looks.
In contrast, Mrs. Lisbon and Mr. Lisbon, represent the morals and pureness that society expects women to hold. Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon confine the girls to the house, rarely letting them leave, and leaving them under a strict reign. They treat the sisters like objects, that they can take out of the world and put back in as they please. Again, this falls in line with the theme that women are able to be possessed like objects. The girls are very limited in what they are allowed to do or say. Just as women have faced in the past, and still around the world, face today. Women have often been restricted in rights.
The contrast between the two standards society holds girls too, as represented by the Lisbon parents and the neighborhood boys, actively affects women in society, in modern day. Even though society is increasingly progressive, their is still a pressure on women, to look beautiful and sexy, but be smart and innocent. The pressure on girls to fill these expectations of society, is what the Lisbon sisters faced in The Virgin Suicides, and what eventually led them to take their own lives.
Though The Icarus Girl gave it a run for its money, The Virgin Suicides was my favorite read of the semester. The story really captivated my attention and it was the book that I had trouble setting down. If I would have read the entire novel without considering any of the theories, I think I naturally would have read the book trough the view of a structuralist. The Virgin Suicides relied heavily on structures and many stood out to me throughout the course of the novel. With that being said, keeping in mind the literary theories while reading brought many details to my attention that I would not have noticed before. Reading through a feminist lense did not as much reveal details to me, but express the details in a different light. For example, without the feminist lens, I would not have thought of the boys as societal pressures to be sexual or pressure on the girls to conform. I would have just thought of them as creepy boys who liked to watch the girls, because well, they are teenagers. There are many other details that I would have taken in a different light if I would not have read the novel with the feminist theory in mind. I think the positive to reading this through the feminist theory viewpoint is the connection I could make to the real world as well as other literary theories. It helped to broaden my perspective as a reader as well as just a person. The negatives to reading it through this perspective was the inability to see it through other lenses. Once I took all the feminist theory approach into consideration, it was hard to "unsee" those perspectives persay.
Theory plays a big role in the world. From social theory to scientific theory, theory has a hand on almost everything in day to day life. Literary theory proves no different. Through all the strands of literary theory, no literature is safe from the vast reach of theory. Through the waves of the feminist literary movement, the strands of feminist literary studies, and the theorists who contributed to the cause, readers can acquire new knowledge to help them become more critical readers and see the world through a different set of lens. In The Virgin Suicides feminist theory plays a big role. From the characters, to their lives, and lastly, to their demise, the feminist theory provides explanations for almost all the the happenings of the novel. Literary theory time and time again proves relevant to literature, and the modern day world