Abstract

Feminism has been one of the most recent theories of transformative power in the entire fields of knowledge, and especially in the humanities. The paper focuses on Feminism, its development and concerns while critically analysing the Lacanian Psychoanalysis theory. These theories are further applied to the novel along with the comparison and application of the similarities between these theories to the novel. Wide Sargasso Sea (WSS) is the most significant works of Jean. Her work was published in 1966, which is divided into three parts. In the first part which took place in the Coulibri. Moreover, this novel is basically a prequel, yet a significant re-writing of one of the classics of Victorian fiction. The story shadows on the victims of the oppressive colonialist society. Contents

Feminism3

Lacanian Psychoanalysis Theory6

Categories of Diagnosis7

Psychosis in Lacan Theory8

Similarities between the Feminism and Psychoanalysis12

Trends in Feminism12

Femininity14

Overview of the Novel17

Application of theories to the Novel18

Lacan - Freud Reader20

The Phallic Function And Beyond22

Lacanian Concept of Love23

Conclusion24

References25

Feminism

Feminism encompasses those political movements that have attempted to critique and transform power structures defined by gender power in which men have traditionally held more power and women have held less power in the fundamental structures of society. In education, feminism can be seen as an ideology that moves women's experiences from the margins of educational discourse to its center by focusing on sexual oppression and sex discrimination. Feminism is enacted through a variety of perspectives, including those embedded in law, the labor market, religion, commerce, the arts, media, education, philosophy, and ecology. Feminist movements have occurred throughout human history and across the globe.

In the United States, three waves of feminism are generally recognized by historians: (1) the move between 1848 and 1920 to achieve women's suffrage, (2) the cultural and political resistance to discriminatory policies in the 1960s and 1970s, and (3) the postcolonial and poststructural wave in the 1990s through the early 2000s in which those who rejected patriarchy incorporated race and class into their advocacy and actions. The general goal of feminism is “equality for women,” and the general construct of critique is “power” (Rooney, 265-279). In other words, feminism promotes gender equality through a critique of power differences between men and women. As a matter of fact, conflicting conceptualizations of power became one of the strongest themes throughout feminist history; many argued that power assumed solely to be “domination” limited the analysis. Power, some claimed, can also be considered a “resource” (Slajov, 80-84).

Feminism is usually thought of as a political and/ or social movement, but it also includes the analysis of power in its various forms as it relates to women. It advocates critical inquiry into the more and less obvious mechanisms that distribute power. One cannot state that feminism is a movement advocating equality for women, because some feminists argue that standards of equality developed by the state are based on the exclusion of female identity: The abstract neutral citizen is presumed to be male. Feminist political theory includes a consideration of political action, institutions, movements, social change, and ...