Feminism

  • Bill Overton
Chapter
Part of the The Critics Debate book series (TCD)

Abstract

Feminist criticism is especially well equipped to handle such questions, and The Winter’s Tale is in other ways too a promising text for feminists. It is unique among Shakespeare’s plays in offering three female roles of the first importance, despite law and custom which confined all professional acting to males. At the same time its plot turns on conflicts of male attitude and behaviour towards women.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References and Further Reading

  1. Asp, Carolyn, ‘Shakespeare’s Paulina and the Consolatio Tradition’, Shakespeare Studies, 11 (1978) 145–58.Google Scholar
  2. French, Marilyn, Shakespeare’s Division of Experience (1st edn 1981; London, 1983 ).Google Scholar
  3. Gourlay, Patricia Southard, ‘0 my most sacred lady: Female Metaphor in The Winter’s Tale’, English Literary Renaissance, 5 (1975) 375–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Jardine, Lisa, Still Harping on Daughters: Women and Drama in the Age of Shakespeare (Brighton, 1983 ).Google Scholar
  5. Cook, Judith, Women in Shakespeare (London, 1980 ).Google Scholar
  6. Dusinberre, Juliet, Shakespeare and the Nature of Women (London and Basingstoke, 1975 ).Google Scholar
  7. Shepherd, Simon, Amazons and Warrior Women: Varieties of Feminism in Seventeenth-Century Drama (Brighton, 1981 )Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Bill Overton 1989

Authors and Affiliations

  • Bill Overton

There are no affiliations available

Personalised recommendations