British Culture - User contributions [en]

Germaine Greer

2022-01-03T16:07:07Z

C.E.L.:

Born 29 January 1939 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Dr. Germaine Greer is a feminist, author, scholar, and journalist famous for her book ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970). She studied at the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney and received her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Her main research focuses on female reproduction and sexual freedom for women, but she is also known for her biography of [[William Shakespeare]]’s wife Anne Hathaway as well as her interest in environmental restoration and protection.

Having become a household name, Greer is considered a radical feminist and perceived to present more “outspoken and unexpected” ideas (“Germaine Greer”). She is critical of the gains of the Women’s Liberation Movement, claiming them to be merely “handed down by the male establishment” (“Germaine Greer”) and is known for her controversialism and criticism of people such as Norman Mailer.

== ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970) ==

In her most famous book, Greer discusses the sexual subordination of wives to their husbands and urges them to “free themselves from the bondage of the nuclear family” (Hale and Hawkins 21). She criticizes the concept of the nuclear family and instead advocates for women to assert themselves as subjects rather than to remain objectified.

== ''Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility'' (1984) ==

Being less critical of the concept of a nuclear family in this later publication, Greer now focuses on the problems surrounding female fertility. She laments the cultural loss of child-bearing rituals and fertility tracking and criticizes the increasing focus on marital sex which, in her opinion, has gained precedence over child-rearing. As in her article “Feminism and Fertility,” Greer addresses the dangers and non-essentiality of contraception for women and instead promotes natural contraceptive methods which do not put female health at risk.

== Critique ==

Greer’s publications have been criticized by various scholars such as Ann Hale and Mary Hawkins. Most critics agree that Greer uses limited evidence for her argumentation and tends to ignore the economic and political injustices under which women suffer in contemporary society. Whilst she appears at times contradictory and less sensitive of topics such as rape, Greer is nonetheless credited for her emotional way of articulation which grabs the attention of her readers yet fails to hide the shortcomings of her arguments.

== Notable Works ==

* ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970)
* ''The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work'' (1979)
* ''Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility'' (1984)
* ''The Change: Women, Ageing and the Menopause'' (1991)
* ''Slip-Shod Sibyls: Recognition, Rejection, and the Woman Poet'' (1995)
* ''The Whole Woman'' (1999)
* ''On Rape'' (2018)

== Sources ==

* Diamond, Arlyn. “Elizabeth Janeway and Germaine Greer.” ''The Massachusetts Review'', vol. 13, no. 1/2, 1972, pp. 275–9. ''Jstor'', www.jstor.org/stable/25088230. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* “Germaine Greer.” ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 18 November 2021, www.britannica.com/biography/Germaine-Greer. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* Greer, Germaine. “Feminism and Fertility.” ''Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies'', vol. 1, no. 2, 1976, pp. 1–18, doi.org/10.2307/3346065. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* Hale, Ann, and Mary Hawkins. “Eggs Not Sex: The Functionalism of Germaine Greer.” ''Anthropology Today'', vol. 1, no. 2, 1985, pp. 21–3, doi.org/10.2307/3033204. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* Roberts, Yvonne, Afua Hirsch, and Hannah Jane Parkinson. “Reading Germaine: Three Generations Respond to On Rape.” ''The Guardian'', 9 September 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/09/germaine-greer-on-rape-book-three-women-respond. Accessed 28 December 2021.

Germaine Greer

2022-01-03T16:06:19Z

C.E.L.:

Born 29 January 1939 (82 years old) in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Dr. Germaine Greer is a feminist, author, scholar, and journalist famous for her book ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970). She studied at the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney and received her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Her main research focuses on female reproduction and sexual freedom for women, but she is also known for her biography of [[William Shakespeare]]’s wife Anne Hathaway as well as her interest in environmental restoration and protection.

Having become a household name, Greer is considered a radical feminist and perceived to present more “outspoken and unexpected” ideas (“Germaine Greer”). She is critical of the gains of the Women’s Liberation Movement, claiming them to be merely “handed down by the male establishment” (“Germaine Greer”) and is known for her controversialism and criticism of people such as Norman Mailer.

== ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970) ==

In her most famous book, Greer discusses the sexual subordination of wives to their husbands and urges them to “free themselves from the bondage of the nuclear family” (Hale and Hawkins 21). She criticizes the concept of the nuclear family and instead advocates for women to assert themselves as subjects rather than to remain objectified.

== ''Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility'' (1984) ==

Being less critical of the concept of a nuclear family in this later publication, Greer now focuses on the problems surrounding female fertility. She laments the cultural loss of child-bearing rituals and fertility tracking and criticizes the increasing focus on marital sex which, in her opinion, has gained precedence over child-rearing. As in her article “Feminism and Fertility,” Greer addresses the dangers and non-essentiality of contraception for women and instead promotes natural contraceptive methods which do not put female health at risk.

== Critique ==

Greer’s publications have been criticized by various scholars such as Ann Hale and Mary Hawkins. Most critics agree that Greer uses limited evidence for her argumentation and tends to ignore the economic and political injustices under which women suffer in contemporary society. Whilst she appears at times contradictory and less sensitive of topics such as rape, Greer is nonetheless credited for her emotional way of articulation which grabs the attention of her readers yet fails to hide the shortcomings of her arguments.

== Notable Works ==

* ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970)
* ''The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work'' (1979)
* ''Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility'' (1984)
* ''The Change: Women, Ageing and the Menopause'' (1991)
* ''Slip-Shod Sibyls: Recognition, Rejection, and the Woman Poet'' (1995)
* ''The Whole Woman'' (1999)
* ''On Rape'' (2018)

== Sources ==

* Diamond, Arlyn. “Elizabeth Janeway and Germaine Greer.” ''The Massachusetts Review'', vol. 13, no. 1/2, 1972, pp. 275–9. ''Jstor'', www.jstor.org/stable/25088230. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* “Germaine Greer.” ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 18 November 2021, www.britannica.com/biography/Germaine-Greer. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* Greer, Germaine. “Feminism and Fertility.” ''Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies'', vol. 1, no. 2, 1976, pp. 1–18, doi.org/10.2307/3346065. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* Hale, Ann, and Mary Hawkins. “Eggs Not Sex: The Functionalism of Germaine Greer.” ''Anthropology Today'', vol. 1, no. 2, 1985, pp. 21–3, doi.org/10.2307/3033204. Accessed 30 November 2021.
* Roberts, Yvonne, Afua Hirsch, and Hannah Jane Parkinson. “Reading Germaine: Three Generations Respond to On Rape.” ''The Guardian'', 9 September 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/09/germaine-greer-on-rape-book-three-women-respond. Accessed 28 December 2021.

Germaine Greer

2021-11-30T11:00:25Z

C.E.L.:

Born 29 January 1939. Australian feminist and literary scholar. Author of the classic: ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970).

The Importance of Being Earnest

2020-12-06T12:04:53Z

C.E.L.:

Subtitle: ''A Trivial Comedy for Serious People''. Play by [[Oscar Wilde]], first performed in London’s St. James’ Theatre on the 14th of February 1895, after Wilde had reduced the script to have only three instead of four acts. The story focuses on the two main protagonists John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff whilst also featuring Lady Bracknell, several Ernests, Miss [[Prism]] and a [[handbag]]. Even though the play was very popular, it also marked Wilde’s final play before his imprisonment and consequent exile.

== Plot Summary ==

The play revolves around John Worthing (whose nickname is Jack) and Algernon Moncrieff, two bachelor gentlemen and friends. Jack, who usually lives in the countryside, pretends to have an eccentric brother named Ernest who lives in the city and whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his countryside responsibilities in order to visit London regularly. Consequently, he is known as Ernest by his city friends. Similarly, Algernon, who lives in the city, pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the countryside whom he frequently visits in order to avoid regular dinners with his aunt, Lady Bracknell. Both men use disguises to woo women: whereas Jack—alias-Ernest tries to win Gwendolen Fairfax’s affection whenever he is in London, Algernon is interested in Jack’s ward Cecily Cardew and wants to visit her in the countryside.

Jack/Ernest and Gwendolen’s engagement is intercepted by Lady Bracknell—Gwendolen’s mother—due to the fact that he was adopted and his real parents are unknown, which makes his heritage dubious. Despite this, Jack/Ernest and Gwendolen meet up secretly at the former’s countryside manor. Algernon uses this opportunity to meet Cecily, posing as Jack’s brother Ernest and proposing to her, which Cecily accepts. When Gwendolen arrives at the manor, both she and Cecily argue with each other because they both claim to be engaged to an Ernest Worthing—a misunderstanding cleared up by Jack afterwards. Upon both women discovering that neither of their husbands-to-be are actually called Ernest—an aspect that was paramount to both, seeing as their main attraction to the men was due to the name Ernest—they are angry and break off the engagements. Jack and Algernon are adamant on being christened Ernest and try to reconcile with the two ladies, but Lady Bracknell arrives at the manor, insisting on taking Gwendolen back. Here she happens to meet Cecily’s governess, Miss Prism, whom she recognizes as having been a nursemaid to her sister’s family. Miss Prism had taken out Algernon’s long-lost older brother for a walk in a perambulator one day and never returned. It is revealed that Jack was said baby whom Miss Prism had accidentally placed inside a large handbag and left at Victoria Station, where Jack’s adoptive father, Thomas Cardew, picked him up, and that his actual name is Ernest John Moncrieff, for he had been named after his and Algernon’s father. The play ends with both Jack—now ''actually'' Ernest—and Algernon happily united with their respective lovers.

== About the Play ==

The play satirizes Victorian customs and moralities, being full of irony and witticism (Reinert 14). For example, it is commonly argued that ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' had a queer undertone—especially due to the ‘dandy’ characters Jack and Algernon (Lalonde 660). Furthermore, it is claimed that Wilde added in this queer sub-text in order to criticize the homophobia of 19th-century England whilst also alluding to his own homosexuality (664). However, this argument has likewise been contested due to the heteronormative intentions and outcome within the play (664). Nonetheless, the play is seen to invert gender-normative roles that were common during the 19th-century, as, for example, with Lady Bracknell, who is associated with the public sphere, whereas her husband, Lord Bracknell, is mostly at home (Bastiat par. 6). This is part of the “separate sphere debate” which was common during Wilde’s time and which declared that women belonged to the private, men to the public sphere (par. 6). The characters are distinguished by their hypocrisy and word play and find themselves in “absurd and exaggerated situations” (par. 5), which all add to the overall humour of the play (cf. Poague 251; Reinert 14-18).

== Sources ==

* Bastiat, Brigitte. “''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society.” ''Cahiers victoriens et édouardiens'', no. 72, 2010. ''OpenEdition Journals'', doi.org/10.4000/cve.2717. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.
* Lalonde, Jeremy. “A ‘Revolutionary Outrage’: The Importance of Being Earnest as Social Criticism.” ''Modern Drama'', vol. 48, no. 4, 2005, pp. 659-676. ''Project MUSE'', doi.org/10.1353/mdr.2006.0032. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.
* Poague, L.A. “''The Importance of Being Earnest'': The Texture of Wilde’s Irony.” ''Modern Drama'', vol. 16, no. 3/4, 1973, pp. 251-257. ''Project MUSE'', doi.org/10.1353/mdr.1973.0062. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.
* Reinert, Otto. “Satiric Strategy in ''The Importance of Being Earnest''.” ''College English'', vol. 18, no. 1, 1956, pp. 14-18. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/372763. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.
* Wilde, Oscar. ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. Edited by Manfred Pfister, Reclam, 1990.

The Importance of Being Earnest

2020-12-06T12:03:01Z

C.E.L.:

Subtitle: ''A Trivial Comedy for Serious People''. Play by [[Oscar Wilde]], first performed in London’s St. James’ Theatre on the 14th of February 1895, after Wilde had reduced the script to have only three instead of four acts. The story focuses on the two main protagonists John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff whilst also featuring Lady Bracknell, several Ernests, Miss [[Prism]] and a [[handbag]]. Even though the play was very popular, it also marked Wilde’s final play before his imprisonment and consequent exile.

== Plot Summary ==

The play revolves around John Worthing (whose nickname is Jack) and Algernon Moncrieff, two bachelor gentlemen and friends. Jack, who usually lives in the countryside, pretends to have an eccentric brother named Ernest who lives in the city and whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his countryside responsibilities in order to visit London regularly. Consequently, he is known as Ernest by his city friends. Similarly, Algernon, who lives in the city, pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the countryside whom he frequently visits in order to avoid regular dinners with his aunt, Lady Bracknell. Both men use disguises to woo women: whereas Jack—alias-Ernest tries to win Gwendolen Fairfax’s affection whenever he is in London, Algernon is interested in Jack’s ward Cecily Cardew and wants to visit her in the countryside.

Jack/Ernest and Gwendolen’s engagement is intercepted by Lady Bracknell—Gwendolen’s mother—due to the fact that he was adopted and his real parents are unknown, which makes his heritage dubious. Despite this, Jack/Ernest and Gwendolen meet up secretly at the former’s countryside manor. Algernon uses this opportunity to meet Cecily, posing as Jack’s brother Ernest and proposing to her, which Cecily accepts. When Gwendolen arrives at the manor, both she and Cecily argue with each other because they both claim to be engaged to an Ernest Worthing—a misunderstanding cleared up by Jack afterwards. Upon both women discovering that neither of their husbands-to-be are actually called Ernest—an aspect that was paramount to both, seeing as their main attraction to the men was due to the name Ernest—they are angry and break off the engagements. Jack and Algernon are adamant on being christened Ernest and try to reconcile with the two ladies, but Lady Bracknell arrives at the manor, insisting on taking Gwendolen back. Here she happens to meet Cecily’s governess, Miss Prism, whom she recognizes as having been a nursemaid to her sister’s family. Miss Prism had taken out Algernon’s long-lost older brother for a walk in a perambulator one day and never returned. It is revealed that Jack was said baby whom Miss Prism had accidentally placed inside a large handbag and left at Victoria Station, where Jack’s adoptive father, Thomas Cardew, picked him up, and that his actual name is Ernest John Moncrieff, for he had been named after his and Algernon’s father. The play ends with both Jack—now ''actually'' Ernest—and Algernon happily united with their respective lovers.

== About the Play ==

The play satirizes Victorian customs and moralities, being full of irony and witticism (Reinert 14). For example, it is commonly argued that ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' had a queer undertone—especially due to the ‘dandy’ characters Jack and Algernon (Lalonde 660). Furthermore, it is claimed that Wilde added in this queer sub-text in order to criticize the homophobia of 19th-century England whilst also alluding to his own homosexuality (664). However, this argument has likewise been contested due to the heteronormative intentions and outcome within the play (664). Nonetheless, the play is seen to invert gender-normative roles that were common during the 19th-century, as, for example, with Lady Bracknell, who is associated with the public sphere, whereas her husband, Lord Bracknell, is mostly at home (Bastiat par. 6). This is part of the “separate sphere debate” which was common during Wilde’s time and which declared that women belonged to the private, men to the public sphere (par. 6). The characters are distinguished by their hypocrisy and word play and find themselves in “absurd and exaggerated situations” (par. 5), which all add to the overall humour of the play (cf. Poague 251; Reinert 14-18).

== Sources ==

Bastiat, Brigitte. “''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (1895) by Oscar Wilde: Conformity and Resistance in Victorian Society.” ''Cahiers victoriens et édouardiens'', no. 72, 2010. ''OpenEdition Journals'', doi.org/10.4000/cve.2717. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.

Lalonde, Jeremy. “A ‘Revolutionary Outrage’: The Importance of Being Earnest as Social Criticism.” ''Modern Drama'', vol. 48, no. 4, 2005, pp. 659-676. ''Project MUSE'', doi.org/10.1353/mdr.2006.0032. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.

Poague, L.A. “''The Importance of Being Earnest'': The Texture of Wilde’s Irony.” ''Modern Drama'', vol. 16, no. 3/4, 1973, pp. 251-257. ''Project MUSE'', doi.org/10.1353/mdr.1973.0062. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.

Reinert, Otto. “Satiric Strategy in ''The Importance of Being Earnest''.” ''College English'', vol. 18, no. 1, 1956, pp. 14-18. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/372763. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.

Wilde, Oscar. ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. Edited by Manfred Pfister, Reclam, 1990.

The Importance of Being Earnest

2020-11-06T11:37:43Z

C.E.L.:

Also known as ''The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'', by [[Oscar Wilde]], first performed in 1895. Featuring Lady Bracknell, several Earnests, Miss [[Prism]] and a [[handbag]]. The story focuses on the two main protagonists John Worthing, also known as Jack, and Algernon Moncrieff.