So... I've been trying to think of something really interesting and thought-provoking to say for this blog post... unfortunately, the muses have not been kind. I ask forgiveness for the mediocre quality of this response in advance.
I did enjoy reading the Rountree article. The concept of goddess vs. witch reminded me a lot of the Victorian (or at least the average Victorian male) conception of women: A woman was either a virtuous Victorian virgin or a "Fallen woman," (a phrase often used to refer to a prostitute) a social "castaway," if you will, to reference Augusta Webster's dramatic monologue told from the point of view of a "lady of the evening." (If you are interested in reading this poem, you can find it here: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/2563.html) I realize I'm over-generalizing here, but for the most part if a woman failed to or did not aspire to become a domestic maternal Madonna of sorts, society gave her the stink eye (Note: Society=patriarchy. *cough*menaredumb*cough* Ha-ha. Just kidding... sort of...). Assumptions and judgements were often made about a woman based on her profession alone, that of course weren't necessarily true. For example, many single women became seamstresses in order to make ends meet. However, this job paid so little that it wasn't uncommon for seamstresses to take up prostitution in order to feed themselves. For this reason, being a seamstress was often equated with being a prostitute.
The role of the color pink in the feminist movement strikes me as a good example of "reclaiming agency." Pink is often rejected by feminists because of its sentimental, delicate, and "girly" connotations; to some it represents cliche female gender norms. However, lately the color pink has been embraced by feminists who see it as a color/symbol that can "speak" for women as a whole, not just "girly-girls." I don't know if this made any sense... I read an article on it once, which of course now I can't find... rats. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. I swear on A Tale of Two Cities that I'm telling the truth! :)
3 comments:
Hey, Tudor-Stuart pal (and fellow Dear America fan)! First of all, I should confess that I, too, drank the Red Bull. Have we no self-control?
I think it's interesting how you relate the concept of goddess vs. witch with the Victorian era. The fact that the Victorian woman was labeled virtuous or fallen--two polar opposites with no middle ground--reinforces Rountree's point that society is immersed in dichotomies, or "binary oppositions." Good/evil, light/dark, active/passive, man/woman, etc. As you pointed out by mentioning its prevalence in the Victorian era, this worldview has impacted women of all walks of life (not just witches) for centuries. So it makes sense that feminists today, fed up with the dichotomies, are pushing for a holistic worldview that would eliminate them.
On a less serious note, I didn't know what you wrote about the color pink. That's a really interesting example of reclaiming agency. But I guess I'm not much of a feminist. After having the typical pink bedroom for most of my childhood, I have a strong aversion to it!
Hi Emily,
Not at all a mediocre post. One of the things I liked about Rountree's assessment of the "feminist witch" movement was her attention to the destruction of binaries. Women could embrace both the goddess and witch all at the same time, which, as you noted, flies directly in the face of most social order. Good posting.
AI
There are definitely some interesting parallels between the Puritan world view and the Victorian one, aren't there? Especially in their attitudes towards women and sex. I guess that's why so many people today use the words "Victorian" and "Puritan" as synonyms (sort of) when they're referring to someone with strict or old-fashioned ideas about sexuality and its connection to religion/morality. The similarities can probably be explained by the Victorians' Puritan heritage. In fact, many Europeans accuse Americans of having a "Puritan" or "Victorian" attitude towards sexuality today, even though it seems like we've come a long way from back in the day of *The Scarlet Letter.*
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