A Cultural Semiotics Perspective on the Portrayal of Women in Literature from a Male Perspective A Unique Perspective in the Sun Also Rises

Abstract

The Sun Also Rises has been reviewed by literary critics from a variety of perspectives, not a few of which are feminist. However, few scholars have examined the portrayal of women in literary works from a cultural semiotic perspective, combined with a male perspective. In this paper, we will introduce the "Phallus complex" from the author's masculine style, point out the absence of Phallus in Barnes' novel, and then discuss the embodiment of the symbols of the female body and sexual inversion in Brett's body. This is followed by an in-depth analysis of the symbolism of "the sun always rises", and finally, a proposal for a positive literary portrayal of women and a reflection on the development of social change.