The theme of clandestine goings-on in the household has particular resonance for Dutch culture because it suggests the potential breakdown of the domestic order, an issue that dominated the didactic literature so prevalent in seventeenth-century Holland. ... In a painting by Maes, the maid, with a cat, is in the kitchen making love, and a couple sit decorously upstairs. ... (p.63) Maes was also experimenting with vistas and adjoining paintings of women at household tasks. ... The young woman bending over her work is poised between two contagious spaces showing oblique views, one to the outdoo...

• Word Count: 1285
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

With Murray's strong feminist views and Bradstreet's tenacity to see change for the female role in society, they were able to begin the process of change for all women. ... Or had they some, but with our Queen is't gone? ... Judith Murray was more precisely vocal in her feminist ideals in "On the Equality of the Sexes" and rather than exploring the general themes of female ability, she pinpoints very specific examples of female advancement and argues that such mental liberation makes a better woman, one who possessing "a mind thus filled would have little room for...

• Word Count: 2469
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Gender roles are a theme which is explored in a number of ways in Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." ... Jane's search for independence from the men in her life is a continuing theme in the novel. ... Jane's resolve to have an equal relationship with a man reflects a perhaps feminist attitude, which is also furthered by her view of women. ... The theme of oppression of women in the novel is a continuous one. ... Bertha's confinement parallels Jane's own entrapment in the red room as a child and her mild breakdown, and both women's experiences with being imprisoned a...

• Word Count: 1797
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

She was a commoner among royals, revolting against the societal norms of her time with her vulgar, yet ingeniously crafty works. ... At a time and place when men controlled everything, one could see the hesitancy of audiences in accepting a woman as a valid author or viewing Behn herself as a serious writer. ... She proves to readers that "people with authority are given the power to rule even when dressed like a person with no authority" [ CITATION Ken l 1033 ]. ... Most people view this novel as an anti-slavery effort, however Oroonoko ends with the vicious death of Prince Oroonoko...

• Word Count: 2238
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate