Spider Woman imagery in second wave feminist fiction : "Lady Oracle", "The woman who owned the shadows" and "The temple of my familiar"
Date
2008-06-11T16:09:54Z
Authors
Young, Janice E.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This thesis is a journey into the realm of Spider Woman—the Cosmic Weaver—and explores ways in which Spider Woman figures and textile imagery became increasingly important and powerful healing metaphors in literature, during the rise of second wave feminism. Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle, Paula Gunn Allen's The Woman Who Owned the Shadows, and Alice Walker's The Temple of My Familiar illustrate the importance of these healing metaphors in women's fiction. Framing the analysis is Mary Daly's concept for creating a gynocentric literature (Gyn/Ecology) that escapes patriarchal linguistic constraints through the process of "spooking, sparking and spinning' new words and new stories on a "loom of our own."
Description
Keywords
feminism, women healers, criticism, interpretation