Death of the Second Wave?: Men and the Backlash against Second Wave Feminists in Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter

Year 2018, Issue: 48, 1 - 22, 01.04.2018

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Abstract

This article examines Wendy Wasserstein’s commentary on the backlash against to the Second Wave of Feminism through one of her most serious plays, An American Daughter 1997 . It explores how and why men participated in the backlash against feminism, resulting in the downfall of Second Wave feminists. The analysis concludes that men reacted to the Second Wave in a reactionary manner as it threatened not only their masculinity and authority, but also their professional careers. The men in An American Daughter resist and react to change because in their world, a woman is still defined by her patriarchal connections. Therefore, the protagonist Lyssa’s existence is meaningless without the approval of the men in her life. Walter, Alan, Morrow, Timber, and even Lyssa’s sons take active parts in the backlash against women, mainly to protect their manhood

Keywords

Wendy Wasserstein, An American Daughter, feminism, masculinity

İkinci Dalga Öldü Mü? Wendy Wasserstein’ın An American Daughter2 Adlı Oyununda Erkekler ve İkinci Dalga Feminizm Karşıtlığı

Abstract

Bu makale, Wendy Wasserstein’in An American Daughter 1997 adlı oyununda İkinci Dalga Feminizm karşıtı tepkileri nasıl ele aldığını incelemektedir. Bununla beraber, erkeklerin İkinci Dalga feministlerin çöküşüne sebep olan bu karşı tepkiye nasıl ve neden katıldığını da ele almaktadır. Çalışmanın sonucunda, erkekliklerinin, otoritelerinin ve profesyonel hayatlarının tehdit altında olduğu hissine kapılan erkeklerin, İkinci Dalga Feminizm karşısında eleştirel bir tutum sergilemiş oldukları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. An American Daughter oyunundaki erkekler değişime direnirler, çünkü onların dünyalarında kadınlar hala ataerkil toplum kuralları üzerinden tanımlanmaktadır. Bu yüzden, oyunun başkahramanı olan Lyssa’nın varlığı hayatındaki erkeklerin onayı olmadan anlamsızdır. Oyundaki erkek karakterlerin hepsi Walter, Alan, Morrow, Timber ve hatta Lyssa’nın iki oğlu , tehdit altında olan erkekliklerini korumak adına kadınlara ve feminizme karşı tepkilere aktif olarak katılıp Lyssa’nın hayatını olumsuz yönde etkilerler

Keywords

Wendy Wasserstein, An American Daughter, feminizm, erkeklik

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