Review Article
The Concepts of Female Agency and Subjectivity in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House: A Feminist Study
Fatemeh Bagherian Rafsanjani Pour, Neda Fatehi Rad
Middle East Research Journal of Linguistics and Literature; 9-14.
DOI: 10.36348/merjll.2024.v04i01.002
The concept of feminism is a subject of debate within various branches of the humanities, most notably literature. Feminism embodies diverse social norms and cultural expressions which are reflected in literary works. The issue of feminism has been explored through various theoretical frameworks. Luce Irigaray, the notable feminist scholar, suggested different theories toward feminism. Her focus has been on women’s authentic nature, agency, and subjectivity in the face of oppression and a patriarchal society. She argued that individuals should consider themselves independently of their gender and abilities; as these reflect their inherent nature. The current article endeavors to analyze Nora, the leading protagonist in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, who is objectified by her husband, Torvald Helmer, and lacks agency in her personal life. Furthermore, Irigaray posited that women should uncover the genuine nature of their relationship to the world. The principal character undergoes various conflicts throughout the play, but ultimately resolves to discover her individualism and disregard the gender discrimination prevalent in the masculine society. The significance of this article lies in its interdisciplinary approach, blending literary analysis with feminist theory to offer a fresh and insightful perspective on a classic literary work. By integrating Irigaray's feminist theories, the article provides a deeper understanding of the challenges women face in patriarchal societies and their pursuit of authenticity and agency.
Research Article
Critical Review of Postcolonial Theory of Homi Bhabha’s Hybridity: A Study of “The Location of Culture”
Abdullahi Dahiru Umar, Nuhu Lawan
Middle East Research Journal of Linguistics and Literature; 15-19.
DOI: 10.36348/merjll.2024.v04i01.003
Homi K. Bhabha's The Location of Culture, published in 1994, is one of the foundational texts of the branch of literary theory known as postcolonialism. Although postcolonialism has many facets, the central question lies in the interpretation and understanding of the encounters between the Western colonial powers and the nations of the world to which they belong, and colonization is not only an economic, military or political process but also a process that profoundly affects cultures and identities around the world. This is an area in which interpretation takes centre stage, and its strength depends in large part on its ability to address the complex legacy of colonial encounters with careful and constant attention to the significance of the marks they left on colonial cultures. What Bhabha do writings show, like so much other postcolonial thought, is that the art of clarification and definition underpinning good interpretation is rarely the same as simplification. Indeed, making good interpretations often involves pointing out and dividing the different types of complexity going on within a single process or term. For Bhabha, the main object is identity, as embodied in the idea of colonial powers. According to his interpretation, what at first glance appears to be the cohesive set of ideas behind colonialism quickly breaks down into a complex mass of shifting views – creating something much closer to postcolonial thought than it might seem at first glance.
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