On The Construction Of Women's Androgyny In Herland

Charlotte Perkins Gilman(1860-1935)is an important writer,theorist,socialist as well as one of the most important feminists in the first wave of feminist movement.She is not known as the classic novelists until being rediscovered in 1970 s.Gilman has created a lot of works throughout her whole life which covers a variety of genres.Herland is the second part of Gilman's utopian trilogy--Moving the Mountain,Herland and With Her in Ourland,in which Gilman portrays a fictional female utopia.Researches on Herland at home and abroad mainly from the perspectives of feminist utopia,comparative literature,ecofeminism,etc.However,few researchers pay attention to the women's androgyny in it,which provides the possibility of a new research perspective of this novel.Through the detailed reading of this novel,the author finds that women in Herland are the androgynous persons.They not only cultivate the mature masculinity like strong physique,the ability to work independently and the freedom in thinking mode,but also highlight the mature femininity like the extraordinary sewing skills,the gentleness and the maternal warmth.Women in Herland are the combination of masculinity and femininity.The construction of women's androgyny has undergone a process from the beginning to the development and then to the integration.Therefore,this paper will analyse of the construction process of women's androgyny in Herland.The thesis is composed of introduction,main body and conclusion.The introduction briefly introduces Gilman and her works,studies on Herland both at home and abroad,and the related literary critical theories.The main body contains the following three chapters:Chapter one focuses on the building of fundamental masculinity--the construction of women's androgyny in the preliminary stage.Through the analysis of the description of the history of rebuilding Herland,the process of babies' growth as well as the special education mode,the thesis writer argues that women in Herland gradually lay the foundation of masculinity due to historical and realistic reasons.The hard experiences of rebuilding Herland have aroused women's bravery;the growth process has cultivated their self-reliance since the babyhood;the education mode has strengthened their self-enhance.Chapter two focuses on the formation of the mature masculinity--the construction of women's androgyny in the developing stage.The formation of women's mature masculinity is specifically performed by six female characters: Celis,Alima,Elado,Sommel,Zawa and Mao Dai.Physically,women in Herland have built their strong physique through diverse exercises;psychologically,requirement of continous improvement has enhanced their ability of working independently;mentally,harmonious atmosphere throughout the whole country has developed their freedom in thinking mode.Chapter three focuses on the establishment of the mature femininity--the construction of women's androgyny in the integrating stage.Only the coexistence of the mature masculinity and the mature femininity can contribute to the final construction of women's androgyny.The pursuit of high-quality life has improved their sewing skills;sisterhood has strengthened their gentleness;supreme respect of motherhood has glorified their maternal warmth.This paper draws a conclusion after the argumentation of the three chapters.The androgynous women portrayed by Gilman in Herland are the epitome of her ideal woman,thus the harmonious androgyny who perfectly combines masculinity with femininity.Meanwhile,Gilman deconstructs the gender dualism,greatly attacking the fixed gender inequality in the patriarchal society.Academically,the analysis guided by the theory of androgyny has provided a new research point,which is innovative.Realistically,the androgynous women has encouraged women to be more confident and to pursue freedom bravely.It has also provided a more perfect personality type for both men and women,to work more efficiently and enjoy life more comfortably.