Images of women in a woman's novel : yhe female characters in Ninotchka Rosca's State of War

Date

1993

Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Abstract

Ninotchka Rosca’s novel State of War is a significant accompishment for Philippine literature since it has become a critical success in the United States. This thesis focuses on the female characters created by Ninotchka Rosca in this novel as constructs of feminists writer. In addition, the paper endeavors to establish wether these characters are appropriate representations of feminist ideals and are themselves connected to Philippine social realities. As part of the discussion, pertinent details in the life of Ninotchka Rosca are also presented along with a background on feminist literature and feminist criticism. In the analysis of female characters, four major and two of the minor characters are selected.

The achievement of Rosca in the novel is not so much that she thoroughly depicts concrete and believable feminist character, but that she is able to do so without intruding too much on the reader’s own ideas. In other words, Rosca’s success lie in her ability to take a feminist approach without creating proselytizing text. This feminist approach is most evident in the female characters of the novel which Rosca accomplishes in two ways: first, by highlighting both positive and negative aspects in the female character, and y exploring the different permutations in women-men relationships. It can also be seen in the novel that Rosca’s female characters have a strong connection to Philippine social realities, conceived as they are for the purpose of giving life to a narrative on Philippine history from Spanish colonial times to the Marcos regime.

Thus, Ninotchka Rosca achieves her original intent of depicting Philippine society within a specific time frame and, simultaneously, imbue her female characters with attributes that serve to educate the reader about the feminist ideals of concern to the women’s movement.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

Thesis

Document Type

Thesis

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