HEROINES OF THE POSTCOLONIAL ERA - COMPARISON OF PORTRAYALS OF FEMININE VOICES IN J.M. COETZEE’S FOE AND JEAN RHYS’ WIDE SARGASSO SEA

Authors

  • Nushrat Azam Lecturer, Department of Language & Literature, Fiji National University, Fiji

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejlll.v6i1.349

Keywords:

creole, voice, silence, madness, identity

Abstract

This research seeks to analyze and compare the mediums and effects of voice and silence in the lives of the female characters of the re-written postcolonial texts Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and J.M. Coetzee's Foe. The analysis shows that Rhys and Coetzee used the names of Antoinette and Susan to show women's treatment during the 19th century. Treated as inferiors to men and lacking the freedom to do or say as they pleased, the treatment of women and their struggle to find a voice was a focus of both novels. The analysis focused on the significant incidents, character interaction, character flaws, and internal & external conflicts of the story to determine the gaps in voices and silences. The paper will also analyze the role of the protagonists', Antoinette and Susan, and their relationship with the other significant characters in the novel Wide Sargasso Sea and Foe to identify how Antoinette and Susan had similar struggles and how they resorted to diverse mediums to find that "voice" and "identity." It can be thus concluded that both the postcolonial texts gave much more importance or significance in terms of voice and identity to the male characters as opposed to the female ones.

 

Author Biography

  • Nushrat Azam, Lecturer, Department of Language & Literature, Fiji National University, Fiji

    Nushrat Azam is a lecturer in the School of Communications, Language & Literature at Fiji National University in Suva, Fiji Islands. She is an active researcher with a keen interest in feminism, voices, and gender studies focused on gender performativity. She has completed her Master of Arts in Literature from The University of the South Pacific in Fiji, and her Master’s Thesis focused on the voices and silences of female characters in Postcolonial Literature. Nushrat is currently working towards her PhD degree. Her doctoral thesis in Creative Writing focuses on silences and multiple identities of female voices from South Asian backgrounds. She has published research articles focusing on the voices of women. Her journal article (published in an Australian ranked journal) titled “Madwoman in the Postcolonial Era” is being used as a required reading/part of Literature courses at various universities in Europe. It has also been cited by Postgraduate & Masters students from the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain. Her Short Story, “Unspread Wings: From Crossing Streets to Crossing Oceans” & “Dusting Stones Buried Deep,” got published in the Canadian Feminist Magazine “Roar, Fierce Feminine Rising Magazine.” Her book titled “The Girl with a Mirror,” A Collection of Short Stories got published in June 2020. The book contains short stories depicting the lives of women of all ages and highlighting various women’s issues. This collection, “The Girl with a Mirror,” promotes voices of women, identity, and empowerment – something which has been her focus, passion, and mission. Nushrat is also a reviewer for various journals and has been actively reviewing articles in the field of humanities & social sciences.

References

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Azam, Nushrat. "A Feminist Critique of "Voice" and the "Other" in J.M. Coetzee's PostColonial Novel "Foe", International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 7(7), 164-170.

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Published

2022-07-27

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Articles