Do recent film adaptations of 'Little Women' live up to the femiist potential of Alcott's novel?
| dc.contributor.advisor | Bruna, G. | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Meessen, V.P.H. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Koek, A. | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-07-05 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Louisa May Alcott investigated the tensions between women’s own desires and societal expectation of women in her novel Little Women (1868-69). Though the novel can be read in as a narrative that reinforces traditional stereotypes of female behaviour, it also has a feminist underlining. It illustrates how four sisters choose their own fate and future, which includes their aspirations, career choices, egalitarian marriages and heterosexual friendships. The latter might account for Little Women’s enduring popularity and its many adaptations. Each adaptation attempts to update Little Women for its viewers, by injecting the narrative with contemporary values. In the case of Little Women, this often means an emphasis on its feminist notions and ‘girl-power’. The main purpose of this thesis is to examine to what extent the two Little Women film adaptations, specifically Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation and Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation, live up to Alcott’s novel’s progressively feminist potential. By focussing on the depictions of marriage and work within Jo’s narrative, this thesis combines Judith Butler’s influential theory of gender performativity and history of the feminist movement divided into four waves to examine if the novel and the films reflect relevant feminist values of the times in which they were produced. This thesis argues that Alcott’s novel is progressively feminist as it embraces first wave feminism in how it depicts egalitarian marriages and women working outside of the home; Gerwig’s adaptation is moderately feminist as it partially embraces fourth wave feminist notions in how it depicts marriage and work, as it on the one hand highlights gender equality, while on the other hand it neglects nuances of women’s choice; and Armstrong’s adaption is not progressive as it neglects third wave feminist notions of choice and inclusivity in its depictions of marriage and work. Key words: Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, Gillian Armstrong, Greta Gerwig, gender performativity, Judith Butler, history of feminism. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/handle/123456789/14009 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.thesis.faculty | Faculteit der Letteren | en_US |
| dc.thesis.specialisation | Engelse taal en cultuur | en_US |
| dc.thesis.studyprogramme | Bachelor Engelse taal en cultuur | en_US |
| dc.thesis.type | Bachelor | en_US |
| dc.title | Do recent film adaptations of 'Little Women' live up to the femiist potential of Alcott's novel? | en_US |
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