The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the rise of what we today call first wave feminism. Although the term feminism is much abused by those who think it is synonymous with hating men or a belief that women are superior, nothing could be further from the truth. Although there are many types of feminism and many different types of feminists, put plainly, feminism simply advocates for the social and political equality of women. It is, as one commentator has put, the radical idea that women are people too. The efforts of first wave feminists focused on gaining legal and political rights such as the right to sign a contract and the right to vote. The stories that we will read for today, particularly Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" were rediscovered and promoted in the 1970s by second wave feminists. While first wave feminists focused on legal rights, second wave feminists in the 1960s and 1970s focused on issues relating to the family, the workplace, and reproductive rights. After reading the stories today, I think it will be evident why second wave feminists saw themselves in these late 19th- and early 20th-century fictions.
Reading:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (509-11), "The Yellow Wall-paper," 511-24
Edith Wharton (524-6), "The Other Two," 526-39
Study Questions:
1. What work do the words "creep," "creeped," and "creeping" do for Gilman in "The Yellow Wallpaper?" What creeps? What does it mean to creep? (b) Why are the paragraphs so short throughout the story? (c) In answering these questions, how are you using the ubiquity topos?
2. "The Other Two" requires you to make several inferences about Mrs. Waythorn's character that Mr. Waythorn doesn't understand. What do we know as readers that Mr. Waythorn doesn't?
