The Representation of Liberal Feminism in the Picture Book Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley

Theophanie Clarissa Malau(1), Dina Dyah Kusumayanti(2), Supiastutik Supiastutik(3),
(1) Jember University  Indonesia
(2) Jember University  Indonesia
(3) Jember University  Indonesia

Corresponding Author
Copyright (c) 2024 Theophanie Clarissa Malau, Dina Dyah Kusumayanti, Supiastutik -

DOI : https://doi.org/10.24036/humanus.v23i1.123800

Full Text:    Language : en

Abstract


This research aims to show that women can dominate the story as seen in Negley’s picture book (2019) Mary Wears What She Wants. The theory used in this research is the theory of representation by Stuart Hall (1997). Besides, Barthes’ semiotic  theory (1957, 1968) is utilized to reveal the meaning of verbal and visual data in Negley’s picture book. This research is qualitative in its nature in which the data are the verbal as well as the visual texts of the picture book under study.  The finding of this research shows that the picture book under scrutiny represents inequality of gender rather than equality which highlight the inequality of women and men in the Victorian society. Another finding reveals that liberal feminism is represented through the main character, Mary. Mary dares to take risks to choose and decide the best for women, as she thinks that women have the rights to do anything they want without hesitation and with no limitation. This research also reveals that Mary uses her power to voice and to make changes impacting to women in her time. Because of her strive and determination, to date women have the bravery and power to do anything they want.

References


Barthes, R. (1957). Mythologies. https://soundenvironments.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/roland-barthes-mythologies.pd

Barthes, Roland. (1968). Elements of semiology. New York: Hill and Wang.

Dorré, G. M. (2002). Horses and Corsets: Black Beauty, Dress Reform, and The Fashioning af The Victorian Woman. Victorian Literature and Culture, 157–178.

Everett, S. (2021). Fashion as Freedom - The Bustle and Women of the Late Victorian Era. The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research, 8(1): 1 – 12.

Gökçek, A. (2020). Social Position of Victorian Women: Villette and Emma. Comparative Literature: East and West, 4(2), 143 - 155.

Hall, Stuart. (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications.

Kotef, H. (2009). On Abstractness: First Wave Liberal Feminism and the Construction of the Abstract Woman. Feminist Studies, 35(3), 495–522.

Law, S. A. (2019). In defense of liberal feminism. Research Handbook on Feminist Jurisprudence, 24–43. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786439697.00009.

McDonnell, C.A. (2018). Marriage in Victorian England. Theses. Bridgewater State University.

Mitchell, S. (2009). Daily life of Victorian England. Second Edition. Great Britain.

Negley, Keith. (2019). Mary Wears What She Wants. New York: Balzer + Bray.

Panambunan, W.I. S., S. Badaruddin, P. Kuswarini. (2022). The Image of The Tough Woman in The Novel About You by Tere Liye: Analysis of Liberal Feminism Naomi Wolf. International Journal of Social Science, 2(2): 1293–1304.

Priyadharshini, P., S. Mohan, A. Hariharasudan, J. Sangeetha. (2021). Authenticity of Liberal Feminism in Namita Gokhale’s Texts. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S1): 46 – 59.

Tong. R. (2009). Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. (Third Ed). Press Westview.

Weitzman, L. J., D. Eifler, E. Hokada, and C. Ross. (1972). Sex-Role Socialization in Picture Books for Preschool Children. American Journal of Sociology, 77(6): 1125-1150.

Wollstonecraft, M. (1796). Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Third Edit). Johnson, St Paul’s Church Yard.

Woolf. V. (1929). A Room of One's Own. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company.

Wulandari, M. D., Supiastutik, H. Pujiati. (2019). The Representation of Liberal Feminism in A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum. LENTERA: Jurnal Ilmiah Kependidikan, 12(2), 237 – 248.

Yen, Ya-Lei. 2014. Clothing Middle-Class Women: Dress, Gender and Identity in Mid-Victorian England c. 1851-1875. Thesis. Royal Holloway: University of London.


Article Metrics

 Abstract Views : 358 times
 PDF Downloaded : 231 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.




Copyright (c) 2024 Theophanie Clarissa Malau, Dina Dyah Kusumayanti, Supiastutik -

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.