A Feminist Interpretation Of The First Stone

Helen Garner is considered as the most popular and contentious contemporary Australian feminist writer. The First Stone, her first ficto-critical nonfiction, has been known as her most controversial book. It depicts the sexual harassment case at the Ormond College of Melbourne University in 1991. Once published, it has evoked a storm of controversy in Australia. The discussions focus on a number of different issues– sexual harassment; gaps between the existence of legislation; Garner's negative construction of today's young feminists and so on. This thesis attempts to interpret the book in the light of feminist aspect in order to enrich the understanding of The First Stone.The first part of the thesis is a brief introduction to the author and her contribution to Australia literature. It also gives a summary of The First Stone and the previous critical reviews on it. Then it goes on to explain feminist criticism briefly.In Chapter One, I analyse the contents of the book—a wounded man text.Chapter Two discusses the author's post-feminist views reflected in this nonfiction. I believe that Garner's feminist ideal is an evolution to the feminism. Chapter Three elucidates the book's writing style– a ficto-critical form. This kind of style helps the author invent whatever she likes.Through the three chapters, the thesis comes to a conclusion that the author, as a post-feminist identity, attacks the victim feminism through writing between facts and fiction. By interrogating women's victimhood, Garner blames the younger feminists for using their body as a weapon against men. Garner also claims that men and women should coexist peacefully in the post-modern society. She believes that it's the last goal of feminism.