1. The Bell Jar–Read and annotate Chapters 11 and 12.
Keep in mind: Feminist criticism is concerned with “…the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women” (Tyson). This school of theory looks at how aspects of our culture are inherently patriarchal (male dominated) and “…this critique strives to expose the explicit and implicit misogyny in male writing about women” (Richter 1346).
Remember, Plath illustrates economic, social, and psychological oppression of Esther (and perhaps others). Where do we see this in the novel? How does she illustrate these dynamics? Over the next couple of periods, we will continue to discuss the novel through this lens. As we discuss, I am paying particular attention to who refers to the text during discussion.
The Bell Jar essay is just around the bend, so you should begin thinking about argumentative positions on the text. I strongly encourage you to consider how the feminist lens questions can give shape to a thesis.
2. Vocab Quiz next Monday (instead of Thursday). We will talk about expectations for the quiz.
3. Personal Vocab–At the end of this week, you should have a total of 20 words.
