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What a Heroine Can Do: Examining Literary Cultural Myths in Karen Joy Fowler’S Sister Noon

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What a Heroine Can Do: Examining Literary Cultural Myths in Karen Joy Fowler’S Sister Noon What a Heroine Can Do: Examining Literary Cultural Myths in Karen Joy Fowler’s Sister Noon Amanda Heinrichs In her 1972 article ―What Can a Heroine significance of such a study, I hope, will be to Do? Or Why Women Can‘t Write‖ Joanna illuminate a specific example of the overall Russ discusses how the literary ―myths‖ or stride female authors have taken in ―plot patterns‖ employed by writers of the broadening the scope of literature to include Western European tradition simply are stories and protagonists outside of the incompatible with female protagonists. She patriarchal paradigm. then goes on to delineate that women writers I. Article Discussion have for the most part been limited to writing the Love Story, which traditionally has been Russ begins ―What Can a Heroine Do? Or seen as less serious, or of less literary merit, Why Women Can‘t Write‖ by listing brief than the male-centered myths that populate descriptions of a series of well known works the canon. Using this article as a kind of of literature, but with the sex of the framework, my aim in this project is to protagonist reversed from male to female, determine whether, or to what extent, the with, ―The result that these very familiar plots arguments of this 37-year-old article still hold simply will not work‖ (Russ 80). This is, true. I have chosen to construct a kind of case according to Russ, because culture is study examining the historical-fiction novel patriarchal, that is from the point of view of Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler to men, and so literature naturally has developed investigate whether it is able to break out of in such a way that is reflective of patriarchy. the cultural myths that Russ identifies as In explaining her conception of literary myths being the only ones available to women. My Russ states, ―Now writers, as I have said, do personal hope is that it will. By structuring not make up their stories out of whole cloth; my paper as a character study of the novel‘s they are pretty much restricted to the three central female characters-- Lizzie attitudes, the beliefs, the expectations, and Hayes, Mary Ellen Pleasant and Teresa Bell-- above all, the plots that are ‗in the air‘‖ (Russ I hope to discover what kind of story each 81). This means that authors, for the most woman is telling. I have chosen a case study part, cannot create a work that is entirely and instead of a survey or overview of stories that purely original, that does not somehow might prove my point, in order to look deeply borrow from the cultural, traditional tapestry into how the novel constructs a divergence that they have been socialized into. In this from classical Western European literary way the greatest works of literature are not myths, as well as how the author treats the deemed so because they are the most original social and gender issues that implicitly or unseen-before plots, but because they accompany such a story. In addition, as two somehow use these literary myths in a way of the three characters I am going to examine that resonates with their audiences. The way are based on historical figures, I will pull in Russ defines literary myths is that, ―They are historical, biographical research to compare dramatic embodiments of what a culture and contrast what is based on truth and what believes to be true—or what it would like to is elaboration on the author‘s part. In this way be true—or what it is mortally afraid may be I hope to flesh out if or how the real life basis true‖ (Russ 81). So, then, if myths are born enables the author to break out of the out of what a culture believes to be true, and classically female literary mold. The cultural voice is given predominantly to men, 41 then, Russ argues, the women depicted in (although there are plenty of elements of much of literature are not truly women at all. mystery), nor does the protagonist Lizzie go They are the ―other,‖ lacking true mad, nor is it lyric in form (there is plenty of subjectivity, lacking real, human motivations plot action), and most unusual of all, there is a for their actions. Russ says, ―The Other startling lack of the Love Story. contains a mysterious essence, which causes it II. Lizzie Hayes to behave as it does; in fact ―it‖ is not a person at all, but a projected wish or fear‖ Lizzie Hayes is, at first glance, (Russ 82). In other words, these female minor unremarkable as a heroine—rich but not characters exist only in relation to the male beautiful, not old but past what could be protagonist, his challenges, his desires, his considered youthful, and to all appearances a story arc. proper upper class woman. Yet it is her very unremarkableness (by traditional literary Therefore, in order to gain a fuller, truer standards), coupled with a rich internal life picture of humanity it, at first, seems that it that makes her a female protagonist not bound would be enough to have female protagonists by the limits Russ delineates. She is a single, created by female authors. To an extent this is independent, professional forty-something- true, as Russ identifies the classic model that year-old woman at the turn of the Twentieth female authors have used to frame their century in San Francisco. stories: the Love Story. The initial problem, however, that Russ sees is that this is only one Lizzie‘s age alone breaks her out of the literary myth. The wide variety of myths that traditional treatment of female characters. make up the Western European literary Jane Eyre was plain, but she was young (a tradition are still not available to women. virtue in itself according to traditional female Furthermore, ―Successes within the Love protagonist-setting), and she managed a Story (which is itself imagined out of genuine fairytale ending with a rich, landed man. In a female experience) are not important because literary tradition stretching back to the the Love Story is not important‖ (Russ 88). ancients (The Epic of Gilgamesh for example) That is, that set alongside male myths the in which one of the greatest myths that seizes Love Story is not considered as serious or of the collective consciousness is the search for as much literary merit. Russ also identifies immortality, protagonists are on the whole How She Went Mad as an alternative to the more appealing in youth. Possibly, readers Love Story, which springs directly from want to tap vicariously into the vigor and female repression, and so even further promise youth implies. The search for alienates itself from male literary myths. She immortality has translated into a fear of aging. then goes on to suggests lyrical structure, the Tied to this myth is the emphasis on, or detective novel and science fiction as viable possibly demand for, feminine beauty, and a options for female writers because they by plain, middle-aged female protagonist might definition go outside of what is considered traditionally be considered doubly reality, giving authors the perfect space to unappealing. This gendered double standard construct new realities. is not a new phenomenon; even in the ancient Greek Lysistrata the titular character explains In light of the discussion on literary myths to the men of Athens that aging is more and viable structures for novels with female difficult for women, socially speaking, protagonists, Sister Noon by Karen Joy because she loses the commodity of the Fowler stands out as a worthy candidate to beauty of youth. Therefore by dint of her age test Russ‘ argument. It is neither science Lizzie as a leading lady already challenges fiction, nor a hard boiled detective work female literary prescriptions. 42 In the descriptions of Lizzie, the narrator prominent character in Sister Noon, both places great emphasis on the dichotomy onstage and, possibly more intriguingly, between the ―inner‖ and the ―outer‖ woman. behind the scenes. She seems to have her That is, to all appearances, in her professional hands in every sector of the city: business, and social life Lizzie is a proper society charity, politics. She is the most notorious woman: working for an orphanage, woman in San Francisco of the time, a city frequenting afternoon tea socials and run by sensationalistic journalism and attending church on Sundays. Yet, ―Just rampant gossip. This could be because city beneath this tractable surface lay romance and life of the time was so fast paced and all parts rebellion‖ (Fowler 26). She is quietly of life heightened: business was booming, subversive; as a child she escaped into wealth was being created, then invested in passionate novels, mentally acting out the more urban development, gender imbalance adventures that she was not permitted to have. gave a special appeal to women and everyone Over the years, looked for entertainment. More than a city- As she‘d aged Lizzie‘s inner and outer aspects wide pastime, such speculation and insistence grew increasingly ill-matched. Her breathless, on being involved in other people‘s lives romantic imagination, charming in a young through rumor seem to be a very part of the woman, and delightful in a beautiful young collective consciousness. As the narrator woman, was entirely ridiculous in someone states, short, fat, and well past her middle age. Lizzie Here are just a few of the things people said was sharp enough to know this, and since about Mary Ellen Pleasant: she‘d buried three there was no way to keep the outer woman husbands before she turned forty, and in her private, she generally kept the inner woman so sixties had still been the mistress of prominent (Fowler 28).
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