In a recent conversation with good friend, scholar, and fellow blogger, Gidgette, I was speaking of the inherent doom of Woman in western civilisation. I pointed out how the problem of the subjugation of woman begins with her very name. Wo-man, is still a part of man. Fe-male likewise. In no instance does woman possess a name that is hers; a name separate to man.
Her inherent doom is apparent in biblical and Greek mythology, whereby she is the agent of evil. In the garden of Eden, it was Eve who plucked the apple - albeit possessed by Satan - and convinced Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit. In the Greek story, it was Pandora, the first woman, who was created by Zeus to bring evil to man, as punishment for receiving the stolen fire from Prometheus.
This is a general overview and over the next series of posts I hope to undertake a larger and more complex project. Using the works of the Greek poets, and Milton's 'Paradise Lost', I intend to discuss how woman has been doomed from the start, and it's from this first principle that the feminist struggle in a patriarchal society begins.
As I return to university in a few weeks, I hope to be able to continue to work on this project as time allows.
Looking forward to reading more of your work on this topic.
ReplyDelete