Between Gazes

Camelia Elias

1. wave feminism1. wave feminism

V. Woolf: “A Room of One’s Own”V. Woolf: “A Room of One’s Own”socio-historical condition socio-historical condition

Simone de Beauvoir: Simone de Beauvoir: The Second SexThe Second Sexsex/gender distinctionsex/gender distinction

2.wave feminism2.wave feminism

French feminism vs. North American French feminism vs. North American liberal feminismliberal feminism

focus on sexual difference and focus on sexual difference and women’s experience:women’s experience:biologybiologyexperience, experience, discourse, discourse, the unconscious, the unconscious, social and economic conditionssocial and economic conditions

3. wave feminism3. wave feminism

pluralismpluralism questions the validity and relevance of questions the validity and relevance of

white middle class feminist discourse for white middle class feminist discourse for different ethnic and racial groupsdifferent ethnic and racial groups ““English feminist criticism, especially Marxist English feminist criticism, especially Marxist

stresses oppression; French feminist criticism, stresses oppression; French feminist criticism, essentially psychoanalytic, stresses repression; essentially psychoanalytic, stresses repression; American feminist criticism, essentially textual, American feminist criticism, essentially textual, stresses expression” (Showalter)stresses expression” (Showalter)

feminist film theoryfeminist film theory

GOALSGOALS: : to disempower film’s powerful to disempower film’s powerful

misfiguring of the female (Humm)misfiguring of the female (Humm) to appropriate the power of dominant to appropriate the power of dominant

imagesimages deconstruct the dichotomy:deconstruct the dichotomy:

man as subjects identifying with agentsman as subjects identifying with agentswomen as objects for masculine desirewomen as objects for masculine desire

concernsconcerns

the spectator/screen relationshipthe spectator/screen relationship processes of identification and processes of identification and

pleasure in filmpleasure in film the relationship between narrative the relationship between narrative

and desireand desire

gaze theorygaze theory

1.1. the camera, operated by men the camera, operated by men looking at women as objectslooking at women as objects

2.2. the look of male actors within the the look of male actors within the filmfilm

3.3. the gaze of the spectator (male)the gaze of the spectator (male)

Men act, and women appearMen act, and women appear

assumptionsassumptions

gender is a social construction that gender is a social construction that oppresses women more than menoppresses women more than men

patriarchy fashions these patriarchy fashions these constructionsconstructions

women’s experiential knowledge women’s experiential knowledge helps us to envision a non-sexist helps us to envision a non-sexist societysociety

new trendsnew trends

Annette Kuhn: ‘Women’s Genres’Annette Kuhn: ‘Women’s Genres’

considers context as well as textconsiders context as well as text considers the social audience as well considers the social audience as well

as the textual spectatoras the textual spectator moves the emphasis from the text to moves the emphasis from the text to

cultureculture emphasizes pluralistic approachesemphasizes pluralistic approaches

emotion and the artsemotion and the arts

traditional aesthetics: focus is on traditional aesthetics: focus is on disinterested pleasuredisinterested pleasure

psychoanalytic theories of emotion:psychoanalytic theories of emotion:emotion is a matter of the unconsciousemotion is a matter of the unconscious

feminist aesthetics: feminist aesthetics: perception and appreciation do not have perception and appreciation do not have

a single standpoint a single standpoint the viewer’s the viewer’s dynamicsdynamics

the dynamics of the viewerthe dynamics of the viewer

active, not just passiveactive, not just passive cognizing, not just reactingcognizing, not just reacting critical, not just absorbingcritical, not just absorbing

feminist influencesfeminist influences

liberal feminismliberal feminism socialist feminism / feminism in socialist feminism / feminism in

cultural studies cultural studies postmodern feminismpostmodern feminism postfeminismpostfeminism

Sunday in New YorkSunday in New York

representationsrepresentations

isolatedisolated glamorousglamorous on display on display sexualized sexualized

to-be-looked-at-nessto-be-looked-at-ness (Mulvey) (Mulvey)

close-upsclose-ups

destroy the illusion of depthdestroy the illusion of depth create flatnesscreate flatness create icons rather than create icons rather than

verisimilitudeverisimilitude

POINT: the body is a function of POINT: the body is a function of discoursediscourse

man-handledman-handled

lessons in moralitylessons in morality

““a man deserves the right to make a a man deserves the right to make a choice” choice”

““morality never changes”morality never changes” ““the pendulum always swings back” the pendulum always swings back”

identificationsidentifications

mirrorsmirrors ““As the narrative progresses she falls in love As the narrative progresses she falls in love

with the male protagonist and becomes his with the male protagonist and becomes his property, losing her outward glamorous property, losing her outward glamorous characteristics, her generalized sexuality, characteristics, her generalized sexuality, her show-girl connotations; her eroticism is her show-girl connotations; her eroticism is subjected to the male star alone. By means subjected to the male star alone. By means of identification with him, through of identification with him, through participation in his power, the spectator can participation in his power, the spectator can indirectly possess her to” (Mulvey)indirectly possess her to” (Mulvey)