This Post won a top prize in the Kolkata Literary Festival 2015 at Kolkata Book Fair.
Women have been portrayed in different shades. There has been detailed SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis whether in real-life, reel-life, history and literature. There is overlapping too.
Women have been portrayed in different shades. There has been detailed SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis whether in real-life, reel-life, history and literature. There is overlapping too.
Real-Life
True-stories are an inspiration for
society, literature and cinema.
“Khub ladi mardaani wo to jhaansi wali
rani thi” – (Jhansi’s Rani/Queen Lakshmibai fought
courageously like a man). Smt. Indira Gandhi was the ‘only
man in her cabinet’. I am Malala is about the youngest
Nobel Peace-prize winner.
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love is her memoir
about her trip around the world after
her divorce and her discovery during her travels.
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| Source: Wikipedia |
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| Extreme Left- Ira Trivedi & Right- Shereen El-Feki |
Ruskin Bond’s story Susanna’s
Seven Husbands was made into the movie- Saat Khoon Maaf.
Mary Kom, India’s world-boxing-champion, now has a movie-
Mary Kom.
Reel-Life
Cinema has come a long way. Earlier
men played the roles of women. Now women play inspirational roles!
Some recent Bollywood Movies
are-
Literature
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| Source: Wikipedia - Panchakanya by Ravi Verma |
In 14th century
literature, in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath, attacks the
anti-feminist traditions. In 19th
century, Jane Austen “failed to conform to Romantic and
Victorian expectations”. She never used a pseudonym and
dared to publish her views, creating powerful heroines like Elizabeth Bennett- Pride & Prejudice. Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett O’ Hara defied
conventions & restrictions in
Gone With the Wind. In J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Hermione Granger exhibits intelligence, strength,
and compassion.
Rabindranath Tagore’s Bengali novel Chokher Bali explores a young rebellious widow’s passions. Odia novel-writer, Pratibha Ray is branded as a feminist as she writes about a social order based on equality without discriminations. She considers herself as a humanist and feels- “As a human being however, woman is equal to man".
Rabindranath Tagore’s Bengali novel Chokher Bali explores a young rebellious widow’s passions. Odia novel-writer, Pratibha Ray is branded as a feminist as she writes about a social order based on equality without discriminations. She considers herself as a humanist and feels- “As a human being however, woman is equal to man".
Éowyn
from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, disguises
herself as a man to travel into battle. She
confronts the Witch-king of Angmar, who boasts “No living
man can kill me”.
Éowyn then removes her helmet and declares:
Éowyn then removes her helmet and declares:
"But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund’s daughter...”
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| Eowyn, as portrayed in Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings |
I feel many ladies have dared to be different in real-life.
Today, women are more than just someone’s daughter/wife.
History & Society
has been proof of exceptional women,
Cinema & Literature
puts them at par, if not better than men.
They are not lost in the woods or
a prop on the floor,
Not just doormats, they have control
on the door!
Great at desk-jobs and even
behind the driving-wheel,
They reach glass-ceilings; not just
laundry/dishes/meal!
 |
| Source: Twitter |
Emerge out of the
shadows/roles/moulds expected to be!
Dance & make
others dance, live life, love to break free...
 |
| Photo Prompt- Magpie Tales |
Women TOWER!
Cheers to Women power!
Cheers to Women power!
What are your views about the role of Women in today's literature and society? Do share in the comments below.
Linking with-
#KLF2015- Do you think the role of Women has changed in today's literature and society?
KolLitFest & KolkataBloggers
Two Shoes in Texas- Tower
Magpie Tales
#FeministFeb
WriteTribe- #MondayMusings
Wordless Wednesday#70
This post has been written for Prompt of the Month; a feature of Writer's Ezine
ABC Wednesday - D For Dance, Dared, Different, Daughter, Door, Doormat, Desk, Desk, Driving, Dishes, Discovery
Alphabe Thursday - L For Literature, Life, Love, Look, Lost, Ladies, Laundry
I entirely agree that it is easier to be a women in my generation than say in my mom's generation. And I hope it will be sire for my daughter's generation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your views, Mridula.
DeleteHope things improve and get better with time. Future generations of women ought to have it better.
Wow! Superb post! More to women power! Thanks for linking to my post on Shereen and Ira too! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Amrita :) Great to link your post. I loved attending the same session. Had to share your apt post on it :)
DeleteCheers to women power!
Great post! Such a good idea. It is of course easier to be a woman now than before but lets not forget we still have many battles to fight.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, Kalpanaa :) Very true. Women have lots more in store...
DeleteWomen in literature is a very interesting subject. I once had thought to compose a list of women- writers and a list of novels in which the maincharacters are women. I was intrigued by the fact that the three Bronte sisters couldn 't have their books published because they were women, therefore they used male names.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned William Wordworth. Yes that poem of the daffodils I remember quite well. It's beautiful , it still is.
Have a great and nice week.
Wil,ABCW Team
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Wil :)
DeleteYes, women writing under pseudonyms was common in the past. That's why Jane Austen is notable as she dared to present her views using her own name.
Glad that a male identity is no longer necessary. Proves that the times are changing.
Hoping for the best.
I mentioned William Wordsworth's beautiful poem in your latest post as you have pretty Daffodils :)
Have a wonderful week :)
The development of women in achieving equal status has achieved varying success in different parts of the world. Sadly this has been impeded by both men and religions in varying degrees. Luckily women throughout much of the world are gradually emerging to achieve equal status no doubt contributed to some very strong women both in the past and recently. Curiously I think most of the problem has been in women having the utmost reward in bearing children showing how important they are and their perceived weakness in manual labour which has resulted in their repression for millenia.
ReplyDeleteVery true. I agree with your points.
DeleteThanks for sharing.
Yes, economic independence and sustenance is a major factor. The "earning-member" is more prized and men have got the honours. Money has great power.
Further, "home-work/household tasks" are not economically accounted nor considered productive ... Women need a chance to remove shackles, prove their worth and earn- not only money, but respect also...
Looking forward to equality.
Nice and thought provoking and since my thoughts are provoked here it is soul-sis. Womens' role in literature has evolved with times, if you look at Greek mythology, medieval times, it was more of object of sexual satisfaction. with the 20th century women are more vocal. They are strong, independent and well read. way to go..and on the right track me thinks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your points, Soul-sis. Yes, mythology proves quite a lot.
DeleteLook at Indian history & mythology. We had many wise and qualified women in the past viz. Vedic times when they composed religious shlokas etc. Hope we can reach that stage again when women were accorded respect.
Now we have a voice. Now, we have a chance to vote & exercise our choice.
We have miles to go... Makes sense to be on the right track :)
Arundhati Roy and Vandana Shiva would be proud !
ReplyDeleteThanks! Hope they read this :)
DeleteBrilliant post Anita.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at your knowledge of all these facts. I have never given this so much thought though all facts drifted through my mind at different times.
Thanks for your appreciation, Indrani :)
DeleteYes, we do think quite a lot, but may not always have the chance to share our thoughts. Later we see fellow-bloggers echoing the same :)
Wonderful article, Anita! You have gathered a lot of information about women! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI think, there are positive changes and negative ones as well! Women are more empowered now and mean time, molestation records are growing! In some of the villages in north Indian states, a girl becomes wife of all the brothers in the house when she gets married! There are female oriented movies and at the same time, woman are shown in such a way that men lose their control!
There is still a long way to go and hope every woman is empowered one day!
TC! Keep smiling :)
Thanks for sharing the valid points & enriching my post, Sindhu.
DeleteAgree with you.
Control & property is an issue. Women are always kept in control. That explains the way certain communities react with brutal honor-killing when their girls marry outside. Then, women are dissuaded from "mobile-phones & jeans" that can "modernise" them... Even marrying the same girl to brothers or getting the widowed sis-in-law married to another brother is to safeguard the property. sadly, women are treated as "items" or "commodities".
One day, hope to have a world that's truly equal...
Be safe & blessed.
TC! keep smiling :)
Thanks for visiting. The poem was fictional.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day.
Thanks for stopping by, Gail :)
DeleteHave a wonderful day!
Nice list of inspiring women.
ReplyDeleteBeing a woman today is easy in some ways but difficult in others.If i was to elaborate it will become a full post Anita.Suffice it to say-though the shackles have loosened,the burden has in fact increased.
Thanks Induji :)
DeleteVery true. I agree with you about the shackles & burdens faced by women.
Looking forward to your full post!
Great post on women empowerment :) Very inspiring...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading. May we have more such inspiring women everywhere.
DeleteVery empowering post for women! I loved the book Eat, Pray, Love, more than the film.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by & for sharing your views.
DeleteI am yet to watch the movie :)
I knew Jane Austen and Margaret Mitchell would be mentioned in this post even before the page loaded! Great post, as always, Anita!
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Sreesha :)
DeleteYes, these two women-writers deserve the credit :)
Glad you liked it!
That was an inspiring list of women, Anita
ReplyDeleteThanks Sureshji :)
DeleteYou did a fine job compiling women's work
ReplyDeletecheers to women power :)
Thanks for your appreciation, Ruchira :)
DeleteCheers!
This was a very well presented treatise on the changing roles of women, and the elevation of their place in society and even family. Women hold their own sacred power, as do men, and it is my belief that each is like the wing of a bird, without both wings in balance the bird cannot fly. If one wing dominates the other, the bird will flounder. We do best when we encourage and lift each other, celebrating our strengths. Women can tower above the subjugation of the past, they have the ability to make their own choices and bring their own magnificence to the world!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your apt comments :)
DeleteI agree with your wise words. Men & women are indeed like the wings of a bird. Both are needed for flight.
May we all get to fly :)
Josie, what a beautiful thought about male/female balance.
DeleteI agree Val. Josie has beautiful thoughts & so do you :)
Deletevery informative. would not have thought of a SWOT analysis for the topic!
ReplyDeleteROG, ABCW
Thank you, Roger :)
DeleteAs I had approached another topic in the past from the SWOT Analysis point, for this one just focused on women in different fields.
It's a fact that women are as much talent as men, if not better. We should chuck out our ego and accept the reality. Brilliant post, Anita:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your valid points, Vishal.
DeleteWomen are talented.
There's a quote by Charlotte Whitton- "Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."
When we are having so many inspirational women in the past, why is it that still some women feel they are inferior to men? They always have a 'poor me' attitude and cling on to men. Sadly, that is the images which is provided in the movies and our television serials. A few movies like Queen will really break the mold. Interestingly, while I thoroughly enjoyed Queen, my brother did not like it. Patriarchal views perhaps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your deep thoughts & maiden comment on my Blog. Welcome here :)
DeleteThe 'poor me' attitude is because of the upbringing & conditioning. Yes, the media & society does have an important role to play in women's empowerment.
Women have to be very strong to emerge out of the prisons of expectations & conventions...
Queen is a super movie. My father loved it. What we love depends on our outlook :)
Women have made great contributions in literature today or in past. And the society cannot breathe without it's pillar. Women along men have always made things possible. We cannot think that the world would have reached this far without women. I loved your post. I am thinking about reading the book Sex and the citadel. Do share a review about this book. Or if you have already shared please send me the link. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading & for sharing your valid points, Namrata. Agree with your views.
DeleteSociety needs both men & women. Women ought to get the respect & credit they deserve.
I am yet to read the book Sex and the Citadel. It's on my to-read list too.
I guess we should just go ahead & pick the books we wish to read without reading reviews :)
Woman in different shades, yet tower of strength.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Anita, yes woman has always been part of literature.
I like the poetic lines too :)
Thanks for your nice words & appreciation, MeenalSonal :)
DeleteDelighted that you liked to read this!
Hi Anita ~~ Thank you for peeking in on me tonight (here). I think that women add a touch of femininity to literature. They are write softer and are better with the romantic side of writing. My SIL is Indian from Trinidad. His father was Indian, grandfather, and great-grandfather (who came as an indentured slave from India). His mother is Spanish from Venezuela. Our Timothy (grandson) is light olive colored and had my daughter's blue eyes.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the Mr. Linky subscription expired so there may not be too many coming until Jenny renews it in the morning.
..
..
Thanks for visiting my blog, Jim :) Women do add femininity & a softer side.
DeleteLovely that you have shared your views & info about your family, that too with an Indian connection!
I followed the Mr.Linky's rules & visited those before & after me :)
Yes, I think a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! Books are interesting :)
DeleteLove this post! I write about women who are in both traditional and non-traditional roles; I write about women as individuals. I also search for the forgotten women of history. This is a very encouraging post you have written.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for stopping by, Charli :)
DeleteWe women must share more about us and our roles.
Wonderful to learn about your topics & Blog. Will check out your posts!
Anita women's role in literature and society...u sure have a knack for opening up topics which makes me open floodgates of my own so many that my comments start looking like a blog in itself no matter how brief i try to be.
ReplyDeleteThe first that comes to my mind is a borrowed beautiful line from Gulzar, " Kitnee Girhain kholee hain mainey kitnee girhain baqi hain". Transliteration- So many knots have i untied but so many are still to be
Hope that sums up my feelings.
What i want to grab this opportunity to speak about is this little incident that has left me a bit flustered. Women are being educated today...they have come far from say how times were a few decades ago. Now they are given opportunities to learn and have their own careers if they so prefer. i am not talking about those remote villages where this women emancipation is a taboo thing and where khap panchayats decide everything for women but generally this is the scene we sure have come a long way.
My domestic help approached me the other day. She seemed in discomfort and asked me if she can borrow one of my old hand me down bras. Can u believe this...that's what she asked.
i told her i will take her proper measurements and get her a new one, to which she lifted her kurti and showed me the one her daughter had got her. Brand new...fancy enough but the one which was hopelessly ill fitting and had made hideous bruise like welts around the poor woman's body.
The daughter well educated...a graduate works in a multinational company.
My question about all this education all this learning is then...is learning only meant for getting or making a career...or should all that learning be made use of in our day to day lives.
Reading literature...how many of us really Anita what percentage of the population...woman population does that.
These days woman are learning getting emancipated and becoming more and more like men i feel...i want them to eat pray and love too like it was when they were not knowing how to read and write.
Okay this true incident i mentioned and all that followed was because it was fresh...happened just recently.
But u have once again have done it so well...i don't contradict u. What to do ur topics get me yapping...
Through you i want to reach out about this aspect too.That what's the use of all this education if we fail to make the lives of our own kind more comfortable and better in whichever way we can.
And btw one does not have to be a woman to touch the core...read this composition by Gulzar the one i have just quoted and u will know i am right.
Also after seeing the movie Hurt Locker i was blown by the fact that the director was a woman. Kathryn Ann Bigelow.
i have just finished Neel Mukhherjee's Lives of Others and there in one of the chapters he has dealt with female characters that has left me wondering how did he know...
Also while reading Jhumpa Lahiri's Lowlands i had the same question how did she know...
i guess writers are deep, observant,thoughtful people who record the various nuances of real life and honestly bring them to us feelings in words that we love to cling on too. i think it is not fair to make comparisons but just read literature and grow with it, imbibe something from it .
Thanks for sharing your deep and profound comment & for enriching my post, Shivani :)
DeleteThe 2nd last line about writers being "deep, observant, thoughtful people" in your comment is applicable to you as well :)
I agree with you t hat education makes no sense unless it is properly applied.
This post is for the topic is given by the Kolkata Lit fest. Glad you liked it & shared your views.
As usual, I feel your comments make great posts & you must write more about it in your blog :)
Thanks for the lovely quote & its translation.
I haven't watched the movie Hurt Locker. Howe ver, I was very proud when Kathryn Bigelow picked the Oscar Award for it as best Director pipping her ex-husband- James Cameron. I felt it was amazing, not just as she was a woman who had won, not a man; rather because, the movie that had lost was 'Avatar', which I feel is simply brilliant. Shows a woman's caliber.
May woman power triumph!
Amazing post, Anita. I agree it's easier to be a woman in this generation, but we still have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteYes, women have come far & they still have to go far.
DeleteThanks for sharing your views & for your appreciation, Kiran :)
Women have made a big progress since the 2 last centuries, but still there are not enough in politics !
ReplyDeleteTrue Gattina.
DeleteWomen have shown that they can be good in politics e.g. Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher... the number is much fewer than that of men. We still have to get a lady US President.
Thanks for sharing.
Very nice analysis Anita! I too believe in women empowerment and there are lots of examples of Women going strong in today's literature and society. Apart from English, even in Tamil literature there are very good example of popular women writers like Gargi Vachaknavi to the present day Ramanichandran. Even in our society, no doubt women are playing a large part both in terms of home and job.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Uma :)
DeleteIndian literature, and we have so many languages, abounds with strong female writers and characters. They make us proud.
I wanted to mention many names & characters, but felt constrained with the word-limit and hence have touched upon just a few points in this post...
I enjoyed learning about women in world literature. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed :) Thanks for reading & sharing, Mary!
DeleteI love the artwork of the woman breaking free. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteSo do I! It's so inspirational :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
I look at my 2 daughters and my 2 daughters-in-law and see how much opportunity and responsibility they have. I certainly did not think of myself being as held back but I see how they handle career and family and how it is such a team effort. Love living in this day and age♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/lone-pod/
ReplyDeleteNice to learn more about you, Laurie :) Thanks for sharing your views.
DeleteYou are very right. Women have to handle career & family.
Even I love being a part of the 21st Century as I have more privileges and choices than the previous generations.
This was such a well-written piece. Women have many more choices today than at any time previously in history. Unfortunately, equal pay for equal work is still an issue in today's society. The Women's Lib movement was born during my youth. The growth and balance of power for women has made many opportunities possible for younger women. The poem at the end of your writings was inspirational.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding value with your relevant points, Val :)
DeleteYes, it's a serious issue that women are paid lower wages than men, as their work is considered inferior to that of men. Hope there's change in society's outlook towards women.
Delighted that you liked my poem :)
I'm delighted to have found my way here to your wonderful blog via Alphabe-Thursday.
ReplyDeleteDelighted to receive your maiden comment here on my blog, Deborah!
DeleteThanks a lot for stopping by. Do keep visiting :)
well hopefully one day we all humans will be equal for sure ..
ReplyDeletethere are a lot of issues still but i am sure they will get sorted as time goes by ..
Bikram's
That's a wonderful thought, Bikram :)
DeleteLet us hope!
Such a well written post, Anita! Loved it :) Some of the books and movies you have mentioned are my personal favorites. More power to you!
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you here, Aathira!
DeleteWe have similar tastes then :)
Thanks for your support, encouragement & appreciation!
When I look back at the books I read and liked the most, the main characters were girls who overcame their obstacles, whether their own or those put in front by others, to accomplish their goals. I didn't care for stories that put girls or women down or characterized them as unable to do them because they are female. Such silly thinking on the author's part.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your views.
DeleteYou are so right. Those are inspirational characters, who can motivate generations.
May we have strong women everywhere.
Fabulous Anita.. I love the amount of research that has gone into making this post and it has been so well presented. Great work on this :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by & for your appreciation, Vinay :)
DeleteI have a lot many points about this vast topic, but presented in brief as I had to stick to the word-limit.
Glad you liked it!
Thanks goodness we live in an era when women have the ability stand up for themselves and walk openly as equals with men. However I do believe that men and women were made different for a reason and those gender differences should be valued and respected. I like being treated and respected as a lady but with intelligence. Hope that made sense. Nice write up and so well researched.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting, Suzy :)
DeleteYes, we do feel privileged. I can understand what you mean.
Respect is much needed. That's just what the character played by Sridevi mentions in the Hindi movie- English Vinglish.
Glad you liked it!
Good one Anita
ReplyDeleteThanks Manas :)
Deleteawesome dee!!
ReplyDeleteSuch an inspiring post..thanks for sharing ur experiences with us!
: )
Thanks Tripti :)
DeleteGlad you liked it!
Amazing! You have covered quite a ground in this one single post, Anita. Women in literature - that's really a fascinating topic for a research-minded writer like yourself. I hope someday you will write a book about it. Do let me know when it comes out :) Will pre-book some copies for a few women I know (and of course for myself too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your kind words & support as usual, Beloo!
DeleteMeans a lot!
The topic is thanks to the Kol Lit Fest. This is such a vast topic that it certainly needs a book to do complete justice to it. Thank you so much for the pre-order offer :) Yay :)
Awesome. We cud avoid citing historical figures; rather link contemporary behavior with
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading & for sharing your views.Would have liked to see your complete comment. Looks like it got truncatef.
DeleteI have shared a few characters from the past as the past influences today & also the future.
They are role-models even today. Also, I wanted to show that we have always had strong women even in the past and it's nothing new now...
Would have liked to write much more. However, this post is concise as it adheres to the word-limit :)
Anita,
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, you could actually write a book on how Women have evolved over centuries and it would be a Bestseller going by the way you have presented here.
Thanks for such hearty appreciation & encouragement, Alok :)
DeleteBook is a great idea & also suggested by Beloo above! Great support :)
In some ways life may be easier for women now but in others perhaps not. There will always be challenges. Thoughtful post.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you, Patricia :)
DeleteBut, when the going gets tough, the tough get going :)
Thank you for sharing some inspiring and amazing women! I enjoyed this and will have my daughter come back because she has a degree in English Literature. But she works for an insurance co and that is ok because she makes a decent wage and has a nice benefit package. Thank you and have a beautiful week.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting & for your appreciation.
DeleteLovely that you'll be referring this to your daughter & she will be stopping by too. I look forward!
Do have a wonderful week :)