Images of Women and Gender Identity in John Marston's Plays

John Marston's plays deserve reevaluation and critical interrogation through a feminist lens, arguing that patriarchy and ownership of private property are intimately meshed together. Senapati posits that Marston interrogates the misogyny of the Jacobean period by delimiting two predominant myths that have crippled women: the beauty myth and the myth of the weak and sexual female.

Format: Hardback
Length: 194 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

John Marston's plays, despite the misogyny prevalent during the Jacobean period and John Marston's conflicts with fellow poets, warrant a fresh examination and critical analysis through a feminist lens. Senapati argues that patriarchy and private property ownership are intricately linked, suggesting that Marston challenges the misogyny of the Jacobean era by debunking two prevailing myths that have hindered women throughout history: the beauty myth and the myth of the weak and sexually submissive female, both products of patriarchy. Senapati demonstrates Marston's dismantling of binary gender categorizations by tracing the evolution of five prototype images of women in literature, spanning from antiquity to the early modern period: the wench, wife, widow, sex worker, and witch. Through this exploration, Senapati showcases Marston's innovative explorations of fluid and flexible gender identities, offering a reevaluation of his plays and their significance in the realm of feminist discourse.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666910278