Women's Literature Reflection

I think the purpose of studying literature, especially English literature, is to learn history and culture through books. For example, Alice Munro’s books provide insight of woman culture within society throughout her life. By learning literature from different authors, we also would be able to perceive different aspects of the English culture. The benefits from this are the abilities that can be used in daily life such as comprehension skills. When studying literature, we can learn the aspect of language which can be used in specific branches. It also provides the skills of writing appropriate English structure or grammar. Apart from those skills, literature enhances emotional and imaginative feeling provided by character and themes. These will help us to become more creative in every aspect.

Women’s literature is a portrayal of women’s lives and relationship between them and societies. It explores many aspects of their life such as relationship with family, friends, and lovers that may end happy or sad way. The importance of studying women’s literature can lead us to explore about gender, literary history, oppression as well as criticism to people especially women. It allows us to know the aspect of culture in particular time when the poem(s) was written. I think that it also shows the relationship or social importance between men and women in the past.

I believe that the main theme of Munro’s social realism is the equality and inequality that deals mostly with women in the society. So the reason that her social realism theme was so significant during 1950s-1980s because during that period of time there were many gender equality movement (feminist movement) occurred in the society. The creation of her works might have sparked a notion or expressed the reality of what women had to face during that time. I think that her short stories might have expressed the conflicts metaphorically without triggered chaos. Hence, it was the reason why her works were so significant during that period of time.

Well I think that although she does not identify as a feminist writer, her short stories usually contribute with the threats to women metaphorically or sometimes explicitly. The works show express aspect of a reality of women, which if one of the women who faces with the problem directly read the books; it can be interpreted that her work might contribute to gender equality. Although her works do not raise gender equality intentionally, it can be seen to have raised some of the notions.

What I enjoyed when reading Munro’s stories is to know the aspect of women history. Although it does not show explicitly, some of the themes can be interpreted though short stories. However, it does not have a lot of impact on me because I do not face with the conflict by myself, but it does not mean that I did not get anything. I think it is quite important to know some of these aspects in the society because it might help our developing in the future. If we understand hindsight, our society might grow or develop faster.