Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, a good mother, good-looking, goodtempered, well-dressed, well-groomed, and unaggressive.
— Marya Mannes
Unit Goals
After learning the unit, students are expected
·to know Charlotte Perkins Gilman as a feminist writer and her major concerns,
·to understand literary works from a feminist approach,
·to learn the Gothic elements in a given selection,
·to know more U.S. feminist writers and activists,
·to learn some useful words and expressions from the unit, and
·to improve English language skills, communication skills and critical thinking.
Before You Read
1. Discuss the following questions with your partner.
1) What were the middle-class women’s roles in the 19th-century American society in the United States and worldwide? How are their roles changed today? Give examples.
2) How would an insane person or mental patient behave and think? List some stereotypes of mental illness and give a description of someone with mental illness.
3) What do you know about “rest cure”? Do you think it is good or bad treatment for mental problem or nervousness?
4) Have you read any Gothic novels? What are the characteristics of such works? Give one example.
5) What should be men and women’s domestic and social responsibilities respectively? What is an ideal harmonious society like in this sense?
2. Tell whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to your knowledge about the author and the background of the story.
1) The Yellow Wallpaper is an exact account of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s personal experiences. ( )
2) Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” in an effort to save women from suffering“rest cure”. ( )
3) “The Yellow Wallpaper” is considered by many a feminist work as well as a horror story. ( )