What is Feminism?
Feminism is a hard concept to define. Author of Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, John Storey gives an in depth meaning when he states “feminism…is always more than a body of academic texts and practices. It is also, and perhaps more fundamentally so, a political movement concerned with women’s oppression and the ways and means to empower women” (135). He continues on saying that there are many different types of feminism; each type defines a different reason for women’s oppression, and has possible causes and solutions to the problems. Reading and analyzing the Harry Potter series while having the definition of feminism in mind is important due to the prevalent influence the series has on society. Since many children and young adults have access to the series, it is important for us to understand if the characters in the series are sending a positive message to the audience, and what point Rowling established when she wrote the books.
Works Cited:
Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. 5th ed. Harlow: Longman, 2009. Print.
Works Cited:
Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. 5th ed. Harlow: Longman, 2009. Print.
What are Gender Stereotypes?
According to professor Eliza Dresang, gender stereotypes are “something conforming to a fixed or general pattern, a mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion or an uncritical judgment…based on a group, not an individual” (Dresang 221). Rowling doesn’t use gender stereotypes when she writes about her characters in the series, as Gladstein points out that “Each character is judged individually by what kind of person he or she is, and each character is given the opportunity to be either good or evil. It is the individual characters' choices that make them what they are--not their gender" (82). She identifies that throughout the series not once is it a huge deal that women are involved on the Quidditch team, in the Triwizard Tournament, or that they are some of the teachers. One’s gender is irrelevant in the world that Rowling has created. This proves the fact that gender stereotypes are not seen, because throughout the series women are equal to the men, the genders can be seen as either good or evil characters, professors, students, athletes, etc. In any of the novels, it never appears to be a big deal that a female or a male is a certain thing, they are evaluated based on who they are as a person, and that gets rid of any stereotyping that may occur in society.
Works Cited:
Dresang, Eliza. T. “Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender.” The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon. Ed. Lana A. Whited.
Columbia, MI: University of Missouri Press, 2002. 211-42.
Gladstein, Mimi R. "Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts." Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts. Ed. David
Baggett and Shawn Klein. Chicago, IL: Open Court, 2004. 65-82. Print.
Works Cited:
Dresang, Eliza. T. “Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender.” The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon. Ed. Lana A. Whited.
Columbia, MI: University of Missouri Press, 2002. 211-42.
Gladstein, Mimi R. "Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts." Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts. Ed. David
Baggett and Shawn Klein. Chicago, IL: Open Court, 2004. 65-82. Print.