Sculpted from clay, shaped by power: Feminine narrative and agency in Wonder Woman

<p>By applying deconstructive and feminist theories to the Wonder Woman saga, this thesis develops a potential definition of feminine narrative in contrast to the normative and exclusionary patriarchal narrative that reigns supreme in popular culture and Western ideology. Though much of comics discourse functions on the assumption that superhero narratives are homogenous reflections of this ideological hero narrative, I posit that the Amazonian princess's resilience and iconicity stem from her own narrative's uniquely deconstructive nature: Where the patriarchal story would demand dominance, destruction, and violence, the feminine narrative that Diana models advocates for equality, nurturance, and emotional and rational communication. By examining the historical and literary texts that influenced her as well as her own influences on popular culture, this thesis shows Wonder Woman counteracting the patriarchal hero narrative and its binaries in favor of a more equalizing and nurturing feminine narrative that serves to empower herself and her readers.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English Language and Literature

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Carpenter, Mikala

Contributors dc:contributor

• Annette Wannamaker, PhD, Chair
• Amanda Allen, PhD, Second Reader

• children's literature
• comics studies
• comic studies
• feminine narrative
• feminism
• Wonder Woman
• Children's and Young Adult Literature
• Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/893

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2280