Gendered Focalization and Exceptional Narrative Devices in Feminist Utopias: a Comparison between Gilman’s Herland (1915) and Alderman’s The Power (2016)

Details

Supervisors

Bragard, Véronique

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée: langues des affaires

Abstract

enThis thesis examines how Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland (1915) and Naomi Alderman’s The Power (2016) use feminist utopian fiction to critique patriarchy and imagine alternative forms of social organization. Its objective is to demonstrate that both novels rely on specific narrative strategies, including gendered focalization and exceptional fictional devices, to criticize patriarchy and reveal that gender hierarchies are socially constructed. Moreover, this study explores the evolution of feminist utopian fiction through two novels written a century apart. Through a close comparative reading informed by feminist narratology, theories of the gaze, theories of exceptional narrative devices, and gender performativity, this thesis shows that feminist utopias do not merely present ideal worlds; rather, they function as critical spaces for questioning power, gender, and social change.