Date of Award
8-1994
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Subhash Sonnad
Second Advisor
Subhash Sonnad
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
This thesis is a critical examination of three feminist utopian novels: Woman on the Edge of Time, by Marge Piercy; Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, and Les Guerilleres, by Monique Wittig. The study, derived from the sociology of knowledge and deconstruction theory, focuses on similarities and differences involving: (a) sexuality; (b) community building; (c) religion; (d) decision making processes, political systems, and modes of production; (e) crime, deviance and political conflict resolution; and (f) child rearing. The analysis demonstrates that utopia may serve to critique dominant ideology. It also shows how utopian novels treat, and suggest possibilities for, practical political change.
Recommended Citation
Caldwell, Catherine R., "The Borders of a Canvas Tent: An Analysis of Feminist Utopian Novels" (1994). Masters Theses. 4076.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4076