Feminist utopias depict a world in stark contrast to patriarchal society – a world without gender oppression, women are not stuck in traditional roles of gender inequality. These texts are often set in worlds where men are entirely absent. On the other hand, a feminis dystopia imagines a world gone terribly wrong, exploring the most extreme possible consequences of current society’s problems - the inequality of society or oppression of women is exaggerated to highlight the need for change in present-day society. With the emancipation of women in 19th century America the genre became established to express the hopes and fears of authors like Charlotte Perkins Gilman. There was a great increase in feminist utopian and dystopian literature during the second wave of feminism in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Today feminist utopias and dystopias enjoy a large popularity and authors like Margaret Atwood have come to international acclaimation with works like The Handmaid's Tale. This seminar will take a closer look at a selection of feminist utopias and dystopias to see how these texts either imagine a world without female oppression or how they critically explore the consequences of gender inequality and patriarchy.
Course Readings:
Tillie Walden On a Sunbeam
Margaret Atwood The Handmaid's Tale
Additional texts will be made available in the class' moodle classroom at the beginning of the semester |
