Tag Archives: Sexism

Is Sexist Lit Gaslighting Women?

By Robin Bates | Published: February 19, 2018

A Guardian article argues that critical praise for sexist male authors valorizes patriarchal attitudes.

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Handmaid’s Tale, More Relevant Than Ever

By Robin Bates | Published: April 26, 2017

With Hulu set to release “Handmaid’s Tale” tomorrow, I gather together all my past posts on Atwood’s dystopian classic. The novel isn’t only important for liberals but has lessons for rightwing women as well.

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Finding Freedom in Masquerade

By Robin Bates | Published: March 26, 2017

Looking for sexual freedom in a rigid confines of the marriage plot, 18th century playwrights Susanna Centlivre and Hannah Cowley turned to the masquerade motif.

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Resolving Shakespeare’s Shrew Problem

By Robin Bates | Published: March 16, 2017

“The Taming of the Shrew” is one of Shakespeare’s problem plays because it seems to endorse Kate signing on to a male domination fantasy. Modern productions such as the Synetic Theater’s non-verbal version have to make adjustments to satisfy modern audiences.

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Teaching Euripides in the Age of Title IX

By Robin Bates | Published: February 14, 2017

Recently a student reported me for using sexist language in the classroom. (This while teaching a Kingsolver novel and Euripides’s “The Bacchae.”) The language did not reflect my own views, but the complaint made me realize that I need to be more careful with this generation of students.

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Entering a Brave New Trumpist World

By Robin Bates | Published: November 10, 2016

In which I reflect upon my students’ shock upon Donald Trump’s victory. Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” and Flannery O’Connor’s “All That Rises Must Converge” figure into the discussion.

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Schlafly, Model for Atwood’s Serena Joy

By Robin Bates | Published: September 6, 2016

Recently deceased Phyllis Schlafly served as the model for Serena Joy in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “Handmaid’s Tale.” Because Serena Joy gets the society she says she wants, however, her life turns bitter. Schlafly was lucky to live in a society that allowed women to have their own careers.

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Women vs. Unicorns in Poker, on Dates

By Robin Bates | Published: June 15, 2016

In an blog post on the difficulties of handling male aggression, novelist Rachel Kranz looks at male behavior at poker tables, the mythology of virgins taming unicorns, and the rape perpetrated by Stanford swimmer Brock Turner.

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Hillary & the Pressure To Be a Cool Girl

By Robin Bates | Published: May 4, 2016

Understanding the popularity of Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” amongst young women helps explain the mixed feelings about Hillary Clinton. She’s not a “cool girl.” But this is actually good.

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