Beyond the Abyss: American Gaslight and Popular Literature

The mainstream feminist movement in the United States has struggled to include women of color and marginalized women. However, two constants emerge from the work of both white feminists and feminists of color: first, writing is a powerful tool with which women can examine their experiences and theories about gender dynamics, patriarchy, and misogyny. Secondly, to understand and resist patriarchal oppression, women must confront racism and classism that has historically divided the feminist movement by intentionally creating inclusive spaces and opportunities for women to share and discuss their experiences. Popular fiction can bring a wide variety of voices into conversation, including those of women and color and marginalized women, and help women learn to empathize and better support each other in the face of societal oppression. This work provides examples from fiction that depict the way U.S. Patriarchal Surreality employs society’s gender expectations to circumscribe the lives of women. These novels show that lessons and stories passed down to young women ingrain values of Patriarchal Surreality into the country’s collective unconscious and ensure ongoing oppression. As a result, not only is oppression accepted, but the structures that perpetuate this oppression do so insidiously. Popular fiction can help women recognize oppressive structures as it realistically documents manifestations of misogyny and prejudice. Throughout this work, fictional examples are compared with real examples to demonstrate fiction’s legitimacy. In these novels as women characters begin to recognize their subjugation, so do readers. Collectively, these examples reveal the systemic nature of the oppression of women in the U.S. Fiction also provides examples of women’s reactions to oppression. By depicting the experiences of diverse women who recognize their subjugation and resist Patriarchal Surreality, popular American fiction can catalyze societal and individual self-reflection, ultimately becoming an instrument to dismantle Patriarchal Surreality. Fiction can bring women together to read and discuss not only the experiences of fictional characters but also the way those examples can and do reflect women’s reality. Popular fiction provides a wealth of examples that can bring women together to reflect on these fictional realistic experiences and envision, collectively, the possibility of an alternate future.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Level thesis:degree_level

Ph.D.

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Toms, Anna Marlene

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Shiu, Anthony
• Torres, Theresa L.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/97805

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/97805