Papers on McKillip and Sargent (WisCon 28)

33 - Papers on one Current and one Past Guest of Honour: Patricia McKillip & Pamela Sargent

Academic Papers•Caucus Room• Saturday, 1:00–2:15 p.m.

"Pamela Sargent and Patriarchy" I will examine Sargent's dystopian novel, The Shore of Women, in comparison to the genre tenets of 1970s feminist utopian novels. I argue that Shore's society practices these tenets on a surface level, yet in many ways reproduces patriarchal norms with a matriarchal face. I will further argue that the text interrogates whether the dominance and subjugation of one group is actually better than the oppression of a previous regime, how to deal with aggression in men and women, and whether the ways in which Western society has traditionally defined men and women remain valid.

"A Snow Queen for the Modern Woman: Feminist Re/Visions of Fairy Tales, Myths, and Utopias." As part of the movement toward gender equality, the portrayal of women in literature and folklore has been closely examined in the last 20 years. This close scrutiny has extended into children's fairytales. In order to counteract the gender stereotypes portrayed in traditional fairytales, scholars have created stories that negate traditional gender roles and expectations. An excellent example of this is the short story "The Snow Queen", by Patricia McKillip.