This master’s thesis explores Fay Weldon’s implementation of Menippean satire in her 1983 novel, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The present discussion argues Weldon utilizes this specific satiric mode within her novel in order to convey a story of radical female empowerment and evolution that critiques gendered stereotypes of marriage and female roles in society. To make this argument, this thesis applies satire theory, most prominently Mikhail Bakhtin’s ideas about Menippean satire, as well as marriage and family psychology, to Weldon’s characterization of wives, husbands, and mistresses throughout the novel. Through this discussion, Rivera demonstrates the effectiveness of Weldon’s social commentary and refutes criticism that deems Weldon’s work anti-feminist in nature.
","abstract_html":"<p>This master’s thesis explores Fay Weldon’s implementation of Menippean satire in her 1983 novel, <em>The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. </em>The present discussion argues Weldon utilizes this specific satiric mode within her novel in order to convey a story of radical female empowerment and evolution that critiques gendered stereotypes of marriage and female roles in society. To make this argument, this thesis applies satire theory, most prominently Mikhail Bakhtin’s ideas about Menippean satire, as well as marriage and family psychology, to Weldon’s characterization of wives, husbands, and mistresses throughout the novel. Through this discussion, Rivera demonstrates the effectiveness of Weldon’s social commentary and refutes criticism that deems Weldon’s work anti-feminist in nature.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Rivera, Jackson A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts - English","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Elizabeth Tasker-Davis","Dr. Michael Martin","Dr. Ericka Hoagland"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:22Z","subjects":["satire","Bakhtin","Menippean","irony","Fay Weldon","British satire","feminist literature","Literature in English, British Isles"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/273","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Elizabeth Tasker-Davis","Dr. Michael Martin","Dr. Ericka Hoagland"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Rivera, Jackson A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-05-20T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts - English"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["satire","Bakhtin","Menippean","irony","Fay Weldon","British satire","feminist literature","Literature in English, British Isles"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/273"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This master’s thesis explores Fay Weldon’s implementation of Menippean satire in her 1983 novel, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The present discussion argues Weldon utilizes this specific satiric mode within her novel in order to convey a story of radical female empowerment and evolution that critiques gendered stereotypes of marriage and female roles in society. To make this argument, this thesis applies satire theory, most prominently Mikhail Bakhtin’s ideas about Menippean satire, as well as marriage and family psychology, to Weldon’s characterization of wives, husbands, and mistresses throughout the novel. Through this discussion, Rivera demonstrates the effectiveness of Weldon’s social commentary and refutes criticism that deems Weldon’s work anti-feminist in nature.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Radical Empowerment and Evolution in Fay Weldon’s Menippean Satire: The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1983)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Elizabeth Tasker-Davis","Dr. Michael Martin","Dr. Ericka Hoagland"],"dc:creator":["Rivera, Jackson A."],"dc:date.available":["2019-05-20T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This master’s thesis explores Fay Weldon’s implementation of Menippean satire in her 1983 novel, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The present discussion argues Weldon utilizes this specific satiric mode within her novel in order to convey a story of radical female empowerment and evolution that critiques gendered stereotypes of marriage and female roles in society. To make this argument, this thesis applies satire theory, most prominently Mikhail Bakhtin’s ideas about Menippean satire, as well as marriage and family psychology, to Weldon’s characterization of wives, husbands, and mistresses throughout the novel. Through this discussion, Rivera demonstrates the effectiveness of Weldon’s social commentary and refutes criticism that deems Weldon’s work anti-feminist in nature.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/273"],"dc:subject":["satire","Bakhtin","Menippean","irony","Fay Weldon","British satire","feminist literature","Literature in English, British Isles"],"dc:title":["Radical Empowerment and Evolution in Fay Weldon’s Menippean Satire: The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1983)"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts - English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:22Z"}