Representation Of Female Characters Research Articles

The Evolution of Women's Roles and Status in Chinese Modern-Themed Films and Television Shows Between 2014 and 2024

Abstract: This paper devotes to study the changes in the role status and positioning of female characters in the context of modern Chinese film and television shows in the last ten years. This paper is based on the literature research method, case study, and comparative analysis method. Papers in related fields are studied to analyze the differences in the status and positioning of female characters in film and television works in various periods. In conclusion, this research finds that the evolution of female roles in modern Chinese film and television is a testament to the awareness and appreciation of gender diversity and female empowerment. As society continues to develop, future productions will embrace and celebrate the richness of women's careers and family lives. The film and television industry will continue to challenge and redefine traditional gender roles. The industry's response to audience feedback and the need for more realistic representations of women will elicit further innovation and diversity in the representation of female characters on screen.

Mothers and Wives: Representation of Women in Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

This article examines the representation of women in D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, two classic modernist novels. Second-wave feminism constitutes the conceptual framework of the paper. The paper argues that despite differences in style and subject matter, both novels critique societal expectations and constraints placed upon women in the early 20th century. Both authors highlight the agency and complexity of women while challenging patriarchal conventions through the representation of female characters. The article argues that these works are still relevant in their depiction of the ongoing struggle for the pursuit of women's liberation and gender equality.

Gender in revelations: Unraveling gendered struggles and revisiting the construction of cultural identity paradigms in Badriyah Al-Bishr's Hend Wa alʿaskar (2006)

This article attempts to explore the intricate workings of gender dynamics in Badriyah Al-Bishr's Hend wa alʿaskar (2006). It investigates how the author challenges traditional gender norms through the representation of female characters who strive for liberation. Al-Bishr lays bare the complexities of gender roles within the Saudi Arabian context. Viewed from the lens of narrative perspective, her text reveals the silenced tales of women on the quest for agency and identity. Through vivid storytelling and rich character narrativization that builds on the stream of consciousness, flashback, anticipation, and disruptive temporality, Al-Bishr crafts a compelling narrative of women's revelations within a patriarchal setting. Drawing on cultural discourse analysis, and feminist social epistemology, the reading of Hend wa alʿaskar attempts to offer a nuanced exploration of how gender, power, and resistance intersect and coalesce together to produce a thought-provoking narrative about the contemporary Saudi Arabian context. The complexities of women's tales intricately weave an ambivalent knot of discourses within the narrative, enriching its depth and challenging conventional interpretations.

Complex TV and complex feminism: Laure Berthaud and co. in Engrenages/Spiral

ABSTRACT The long-running French detective series Engrenages/Spiral (2005–2020) anticipates and participates in the changing ecosystem of French TV, one that transnationalises and hybridises content in a global marketplace. Laure Berthaud (Caroline Proust) is one of many female detectives who emerge in this era. Through carefully crafting realist settings for its convoluted narratives, Engrenages enmeshes Berthaud into a professional web of dependency and rivalry, working not only with fellow detectives but also magistrate François Roban (Philippe Duclos) and lawyer Joséphine Karlsson (Audrey Fleurot). Berthaud and Karlsson are representative of considerable feminist influence in French popular culture in its representation of female characters in profes sional roles. However, in S06 they both undergo experiences which pit their female embodiment against their professional success. The series thus both celebrates and punishes its female protagonists for their transgressions, echoing and constituting the complex position of feminism in French popular culture. Roban’s brain tumour diagnosis during this season furthers its critical stance on the French justice system and its inability to truly account for human vulnerability in its myth of the autonomous French citizen.

The study of female images in modern Chinese literary works

This article is a study of female images in modern Chinese literary works. The author analyzes the evolution of representations of women in modern Chinese literature and their important role in the democratization of society. Through an examination of the works of authors such as Lu Xun, Lao She, Chen Zhongshi, Yu Hua and others, the article reveals diverse aspects of women's experiences, including social injustice, discrimination and exploitation. In addition, the author highlights the influence of literature in shaping public opinion about the role and rights of women, and discusses possible paths towards creating a more equal and inclusive society in the future. The subjects of the study are the works of modern Chinese writers and the female images of these literary works. The main research materials are the modern Chinese literary works of various genres and movements, including novels, short stories, poems and essays. Research methods – analysis of literary sources on the research topic, comparative analysis, content analysis, interpretation of texts, historical method. The purpose of the study is to analyze and evaluate ideas about female characters in modern Chinese literary works, taking into account their influence on the processes of democratization of society. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that it represents an initial research look at female images in modern Chinese literature and their influence on the processes of democratization of society. The work is based on the analysis of contemporary literary works and includes the study of various aspects of women's experience in the context of Chinese culture and society. As a result of the study, new trends and patterns in the representation of female characters will be identified, as well as new approaches to understanding and solving the problems of gender inequality and social discrimination in Chinese society will be formulated.

Punishment in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter

Author Nathaniel Hawthorne is well-known for his novel The Scarlet Letter, which was first published in the nineteenth century and is set in mid-seventeenth-century New England Boston Puritan society in the United States. Hester Prynne, the book’s protagonist, and the male and female characters that surround her Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chilling worth, Pearl, Clergymen, and others are at the centre of the narrative. In the discipline of feminist studies, the portrayal of female characters in literature is a vital topic. Feminist critics have harshly criticized the long-standing, traditional patriarchal methods of depicting women characters as patriarchal, and they are not good practices. Hester’s transgression and the resulting penalty, accordingly this study has taken into account her self-development, independence from male partners, ups and downs in the patriarchal society, and exclusion from social circles. The representation of female characters in this essay has been interpreted as a protest against the patriarchal customs that are still in place. Because the author has a position of patriarchal power, the feminist analysis of the author’s portrayal of Hester Prynne and Pearl views it as a protest against established customs.

From the Soil to the Screen: Women Representation in Contemporary Rural China

This research delves into the representation of female characters in contemporary Chinese cinema, focusing on films set in rural and underdeveloped areas between 2010 and 2022. Under the guidance of Professor Luis Duno Gottberg at Rice University, the study scrutinizes the complex interplay between traditional socio-cultural norms and evolving gender perceptions within these cinematic narratives. Central to our inquiry is the exploration of how a distinctly Chinese interpretation of the Male Gaze and entrenched Confucian patriarchal values shape the portrayal of women, signaling a negotiation between historical and cultural influences and modern identities. Employing a qualitative research methodology, this study integrates a comprehensive literature review, focusing on feminist film theory and its application within the Chinese context. Content analysis of selected films is conducted to uncover recurring visual and narrative themes, character development, and gender dynamics.

Perjuangan Kesetaraan dalam Novel Fatatu As-Sajair Karya Ratih Kumala (Kajian Kritik Sastra Feminis)

Abstract: This study explains the struggle for gender equality of female figures in several of its parts. The novel Fatatu As-Sajair presents a female characters who has an influence on the development of cigarettes in Indonesia. The representation of female characters in this novel not only places women in an inferior position, but can also be in a superior position. The purpose of this study is to explain the socialist feminism contained in the novel. This study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis method with a type of literary criticism approach, namely feminist literary criticism. The research results from the novel Fatatu As-Sajair show that the novel contains female characters fighting for gender equality by working in the clove cigarette sector.

Emerence from The Door, and the ‘Dog Woman’ as ‘Manly-Woman’ from Sexing the Cherry

This paper explores the concept of feminism and the representation of female characters in Hungarian and English novel, pointing out their similarities and dissimilarities regarding the period and different cultures in which they were written. Consideration is given to Magda Szabó’s The Door (1987) in Hungarian literature, and her contemporary Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) in English literature. The ways in which these significant female authors deal with women’s problems, their position in society and their attributed roles and identities from different perspectives, are examined in detail. In each of these works, the female protagonist takes a stand against the identities and expected duties imposed on her as a woman and the abstract barriers constructed between female and male that aim to control her life. These works of fiction enable the female voice, so often disparaged and disregarded by men, to be heard; and enable us to observe how female writers characterize women. Therefore, these selected novels escape the precedent of male patriarchy and the representation of women in the works of male writers. What differentiates this study is to allow women’s voices from different cultures to be heard and their stories’ being transmitted from female authors who could provide an insight into the minds of women both in Britain and Hungary. Finally, critical points of feminism and the position of women in Hungarian and British society are compared so as to illustrate the persistent exclusion of women from active social life.

Magic realism and the feminine in Encanto

The Oscar-winning Disney film Encanto (2021) was hailed for its authentic representation of Colombian culture, but it also sparked a discussion on film’s ability to capture aspects of a culture and even change the global image of a country. This essay does not attempt to evaluate the merit of Encanto as a conveyor of Colombian culture, but investigates the representation of the narrative mode, magic realism, as it is translated from Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude into Disney animation to be presented to a global audience. Based on the current notion of the feminine in modern animated Disney films, we explore how it may function paratextually to guide interpretation of the feminine connection with magic. Viewers of a Disney film in 2021 may have responded differently according to their cultural background and knowledge of languages, and in this case, their familiarity with Disney productions and/or with García Márquez’s literary universe. We examine how Norwegian reviewers received the film, particularly with regard to Disney conventions, such as magical elements, and the representation of female characters.

Disrupting the self: script development within the academy

ABSTRACT Screenwriting within the Academy creates opportunities for female writers to question and challenge traditional and industrial approaches to script development. The two writer-researchers use critical conversation as a form of collaborative reflection to examine how personal experiences inform their script development processes. Situating the creative practice within the context of research reveals how the reflexive approach to script development can unearth broader concerns regarding agency and representations of female characters on screen. Sue Cake identifies how writing narrative comedy became an act of disruption against the neoliberal corporatisation of education. A kind of self-disruption occurred as the insights gained from parodying powerful emotional experiences led to a transformative shift in her perspective of those experiences. For Louise Sawtell, reflecting on key memories and experiences prompted her to develop female-driven narratives that expand the scope of representation for under-represented female protagonists. She weaves memory and imagination together to innovate the form and structure of an anthology film. This article argues that the Academy is a critical site for female screenwriting researchers to explore and disrupt dominant script development practices.

Hot, fancy, and dangerous: The representation of female characters in three popular video games: Multimodal discourse analysis

A video game is one of the popular cultures that gained much popularity among teenagers and adults. However, with its popularity, it also has controversy where female characters in video games are frequently to satisfy a male fantasy. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the representation of female characters in three video games: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Mark of The Ninja, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. This research aims to address how the representation of female characters also portrays that sexism in video games still lingers. This research applied multimodal discourse analysis inspired by Haliday�s Social Semiotics. This research also uses Kress and van Leeuwen�s techniques in analysing visual semiotic sources. This research used four steps of collecting and analysing data proposed by Bezemer and Jewitt collecting and logging data, viewing, sampling data, and transcribing and analysing data. In the collecting and logging data phase, this research collected recorded gameplay and videogame cut scene using Bandicam software and took notes from semiotic sources representing the female characters. Viewing and sampling data involved the viewing process in the recorded video and taking a sample of data from four female characters. After that, the researcher transcribes and analyses the data using a multimodal discourse analysis framework. This research found that those first lead female characters are represented by wearing tight and obscene attire but having skills in influencing the main character.

Portrayal of Women in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales: A Study of Gendered Narratologies in The Clerk’s Tale Vs. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale

This study compares Chaucer’s presentation of female characters in two of The Canterbury Tales: The Clerk’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale. Through a close reading of The Clerk’s Tale, this paper discusses how Chaucer represents Griselda as an example of the mainstream male attitudes to women in Chaucer’s time. Thereafter, the study discusses how representation of female characters from the male perspective distorts the real persona of women: neither idealized nor wicked creatures as projected by the dominant male thought of that time. Further, this study analyses in detail Chaucer’s representation of women in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, focusing on the character of Alison, who is represented as an example of the woman who goes beyond the stereotypical images that the male narrators created about women in Chaucer’s other tales.

Binary Opposition and Gender Representation in The Tale of the Heike

Gunki monogatari (war tales) reflected the state of Japan during medieval times. An example of such stories, The Tale of the Heike (Note 1) describes the time surrounding the destruction of the Taira clan, illustrating how those events shifted the history of Japan. Concepts central to the narrative, including “mujōkan 無常観” and “hōganbiiki判官贔屓,” remain rooted in modern Japanese society. However, gender-oriented research on The Tale of the Heike is still limited.
 
 By applying semiotic analysis along with socio-historical approach, this study discusses the societal position of The Tale of the Heike in Japan, drawing attention to the female characters represented and analyzing the nature of gender in the story. This research also considers the historical and social backgrounds that produced the foundations for that gender representation.
 
 The study reveals that the representation of female characters, especially shirabyōshi (Note 2), had a deep political role. It also recognizes that Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa involved many women in his approach to fighting the Heike clan. Finally, it demonstrates how binary opposition and gender representation in The Tale of the Heike may have been used to promote the Heike clan stereotypes, resembling certain forms of modern-day media.

Magical women: Representations of female characters in the Witcher video game series

Several videogames allow players to form their own narratives by making the player choose certain options with different dialogues and thus different representations. This can be problematic when exploring the representation of gender from the perspective of player’s experiences. I argue that one way to overcome this is to use corpus linguistic methods. In this paper, the videogame series The Witcher (CD Projekt Red 2007, 2011, 2015) is taken as a case study for lexico-grammatical analysis of the representation of gender via corpus methods. Keyword analysis shows that male characters are more likely to occur than female characters and have a more diverse range of professions than female characters. I argue that the main female characters of the game are typically sorceresses, and so I explore how this term is used across the corpus. The analysis demonstrates that sorceresses are represented as educated and intelligent, but subject to a glass ceiling effect: they are only ever advisors and not leaders. I argue that regardless of what options players choose, they are statistically more likely to encounter these problematic representations of gender, thus raising questions about whether it is possible to escape sexist discourses in this medium.

Komunikasi Tokoh Pingkan dalam Merepresentasikan Konsep “Modern Meisje” Pada Novel Hujan Bulan Juni

The representation of female characters in the novel “Hujan Bulan Juni” by Sapardi Djoko Damono is based on the concept of "modern meisje" initiated by Kartini. This concept is an implication of the presentation of independent women who are in various ways able to become influential figures in society. The concept of "modern meisje" is represented through the character of Pingkan, the female character in the novel “Hujan Bulan Juni”. Pingkan is described as a mixed Manado-Javanese woman who has character as a "modern meisje" representation. This character can be seen in various signs seen in the portrayal of the character, both from physical depictions, characters, attitudes, and dialogue. This article aims to show the representation of Pingkan figures as "modern meisje" in accordance with Kartini's feminist concept. The method used in this study is a quantitataif descriptive method by placing the novel as research data. In addition, feminist studies become a theory that is used as a basis and reference in discussion. The results of the discussion showed that the figure of Pingkan is a figure who represents the concept of "modern meisje" in Kartini's view. This representation can be referenced in the concept of free women, independent, visionary, enthusiastic, and personal. This representation is conveyed by Kartini as part of the idealism of modern female figures in the view of feminism.

Life According to Popular Children's Films

This content analysis uses data gathered from the 150 top-grossing children’s animated films from 1990 to 2020 (based on North American theater sales) to examine the gender disparities and stereotypes in children’s media. The study shows that female characters are underrepresented in lead roles (14%), main gangs (28.1%), and speaking roles (27.2%). The central female characters are portrayed stereotypically. When female characters appear, they are more likely to be portrayed in a romantic and family relationship than male characters. However, films with a greater percentage of women writers are correlated with more speaking roles for female characters. The impact of media on children’s development is indisputable due to the way technology has become ingrained in day-to-day life. The lack of representation of female characters reinforces the stereotypical portrayals that negatively affect the self-esteem of girls and train boys to expect an androcentric world. The skewed and stereotypical portrayal of female characters fails to accurately represent the diversity of other parts of the world. While many of these films are produced in the West, they are widely distributed and consumed all over the world.

THE VIRTUAL CENSUS 2.0: A CONTINUED INVESTIGATION ON THE REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER, RACE AND AGE IN VIDEOGAMES

While many studies suggest media representations of marginalized social groups play a vital role in shaping one’s worldview (Gerbner et al. 1994) or normalizing power imbalances (Harwood and Anderson 2002), videogames continue to privilege characters that are White, adult and male. This paper revisits key questions addressed in Williams, et al.’s “The Virtual Census: Representation of Gender, Race and Age in Videogames” (2009) to examine how representations of gender, race, and age in videogames have changed over the last ten years. The present study analyses the United Kingdom’s top 100 best-selling games of 2017 and looks for changing and continuing trends in the representation of videogame characters compared to the original study. While our sample still shows a preference for White, adult, and male characters, a small but significant increase in the representation of female characters and people of colour offers hope for the future of gaming. By revisiting the 2009 census, we aim to provide empirical evidence that may contribute to further discussions of how gender, race and age are portrayed in videogames, both within academic and industry circles.

White women without weapons: an analysis of women’s voices in Border War dramas

This article examines the representation of female characters in four plays about the Border War. Female characters are discussed using three archetypes: that of the Virgin, the Mother and the Whore. Aside from giving an overview of female characters in the Border War drama canon, the article also critically analyses whether these representations serve to strengthen or destabilize the hegemonic view of the conscript as a hero which was perpetuated by the apartheid government. The article’s findings are that some plays’ female characters, such as Christine in Deon Opperman’s Tree Aan! (2011), represent an uncomplicated archetype of a Virgin. This woman is largely passive, apolitical and needs to be protected by a heroic conscript. In this sense, the playwright uses the female character to portray a restorative nostalgic view of the past. Other plays, such as Malan’s Johnny is nie Dood nie, Leach’s Die Spinner and Fourie’s Boetman is die Bliksem in!, have female characters that serve to subvert restorative nostalgic views of the past. The article found that contrary to Tree Aan!, these plays use female voices to question and destabilize the conscripts’ master narrative of the Border War as a singularly heroic war against communism. The Volksmoeder (Mother) archetype is used by Fourie as a commentary on the role mothers played in upholding the old regime. In this way, female guilt and complicity in past wrongdoing is also examined. Female agency during this era, albeit limited, is thus acknowledged and passivity is critically examined. The article concludes with its central finding: that there is a significant lack of Whore characters; rebellious women who question men. The author posits that this lack of insubordinate women reflects the masculine world of the Border War.

Transnational representation of a gendered recession in corporate dramas

The cinematic depiction of the financial crisis has centred on the explanation of the causes and consequences of the global recessionary scenario in which gender acquires special relevance. My aim in this article is to carry out a hitherto unaddressed transnational analysis of corporate dramas. More specifically, I elicit the commonalities as well as local specificities that different Western cinematographies show when tackling gendered recessionary discourses on ‘mancession’ and ‘austerity’. Films such as The Last Days of Lehman Brothers (Samuels, 2009, BBC), Money Never Sleeps (Stone, 2010), The Company Men (J. Wells, 2010) and The Big Short (McKay, 2015) have, on the one hand, aligned with nostalgic and retro-sexist discourses by focusing on male suffering to confront the recession while relegating female characters as emotional companions of the male hero. On the other hand, the representation of female characters in these films has also put to the test the inconsistencies of neoliberal discourses when analysed from the perspective of genre. To illustrate the transnational dimension of the ‘narrated’ impact of the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ in different scenarios, I compare a US Wall Street film and a Spanish corporate drama of the Great Recession: Margin Call (J Chandor, 2011, USA) and The Tip of the Iceberg (La punta del iceberg, D Cánovas, 2016, Spain).