Annotated Bibliography
Burn, Stephen J. “The Gender of the Neuronovel: Joyce Carol Oates and the Double Brain.” European Journal of American Studies, vol. 16, 2021, pp. 12-32.
At the beginning of the formation of D. K. Oates’s writing style, social and political views fell at a time of increasing social activism and the emergence of numerous social organizations and movements. In the “Gender of the Neuronovel,” Burn notes that feminism, the ideology, canons, ideas, and tenets had an impact on the American woman of the second half of the last century and a powerful influence on Oates’s work (13). This movement was widespread in that period and today, as evidenced by the activities of women’s organizations, gender sections, and committees worldwide.
Even though Oates did not classify herself as a feminist writer, denying extreme positions in feminism, she nevertheless raises in almost all of her works issues that have been actively discussed and explored in feminist theory. In the source, Burn refers to it as the idea of patriarchal chauvinism and domination entailing violence against women (18). Its purpose is to exclude them from the general cultural picture of the world, and the need to change the social status of women from marginal roles to the center of the narrative. Burn’s article analyzes the ideas that inspired the story (Burn 14). This article explains the concept of feminism and its relationship to Oates’ story, confirming that violence changes people and prevents the formation of identities that become dependent on the more assertive individual.
Gomez, Esther. “Family Relationships in the Fiction of Joyce Carol Oates.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, 2020, pp 1-14.
It is an article that focuses on the analysis of Oates’ works and their feminist aspect. In “Family Relationships in the Fiction of Joyce Carol Oates,” Gomez states that the writer sees the theme of women merely as important as the topic of violence and cruelty (14). It refers to the fact that females often feel invisible socially because their physicality is taken as the basis. Analyzing the work of Oates, Gomez adds that what is remarkable in the story is that the writer turned to the study not direct — physical violence but symbolic — psychological violence (Gomez 14). The conflict depicted in the narrative grows from a brief sketch of a young man seducing a girl named Connie.
She has been left alone while her parents and sister visit a relative. The absence of loved ones gave the man a lot of opportunities for violence. The entire story is a dialogue between Arnold and Connie, resulting in the girl agreeing to leave her parent’s house. Gomez interprets this encounter as seduction, carried out through a process of dialogue in which Arnold demonstrates his masculine authority and Connie her feminine submission (8). Thus, the work is constructed around male violence against women. It emphasizes the fact that violence is multifaceted and even without physical intervention, it is possible to psychologically manipulate the victim into submission.
Sleiniute, Modesta. “The Representation of Different Kinds of Obsessive Behaviour in Eight Stories by Joyce Carol Oates.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 3, no. 5, 2020, pp 1-14.
The theme of violence was the reason for multiple analyses, and “Representation of Kinds of Obsessive Behaviour in Eight Stories by Joyce Carol Oates” can add valuable information for understanding the piece’s depth. According to Sleiniute, power is the ability to terrorize and use self and strength to induce fear (2). It is precisely the act of terror and violence that D.K. Oates portrays in agreement with Dworkin. The poles of the story told by the author are innocence and experience, beginning and end. In her analysis, Sleiniute agrees with Gomez and notes that Oates demonstrates how Connie’s romantic expectations are transformed into the cold and painful process of her seduction by Arnold (6). The temptation occurs through an intrusion into the personality and an immersion into the girl’s inner world.
Thus, in the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, the concept of violence, acting as a storyteller, is multi-dimensional. After reading the article, one can conclude that D.K. Oates presents the story of the girl’s seduction as a narrative of psychological and alleged physical violence. However, despite the dramatic finale of the work, the idea inherent in it is constructive: it is impossible to realize desires through the adoption of another’s experience and dependence. Oates, who opposes all forms of violence, takes the study of this concept to the level of the author’s supremacy, addressing it at all stages of her work.
Moorthi, R., and C. Govindaraj. “Stylistic Analysis in the Select Short Fictions of Joyce Carol Oates.” Think India Journal, vol. 22, no.14, 2019, pp. 8026-8030.
Moorthi and Govindaraj, defining the process of seduction by the term psychological attack, saw the reasons for bait in the desire of the subject to commit an act of internal repression of the object (5). D.C. Oates does not limit Arnold’s willingness to the psychological framework; his words contain a direct threat of physical violence and a desire for material possession. Stylistic Analysis may help to understand the actual effects of violence on the victim. The authors emphasize that the story’s action takes place in a limited space, which is determined by the content of the work (Morthi and Govindaraj 5). The heroine is at home, in the kitchen, and the hero is outside, near the car, in the street. The kitchen is traditionally female, and the vehicle is historically male. The authors analyze the characteristics of the sexes and the symbols that the author used to describe the violence and vulnerability of the victim. Their study helps to understand the symbolism of the story and reveals the author’s intention.
Banet, Sarah, and Laura Portwood-Stacer. “The Traffic in Feminism.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 17, no. 5, 2018, pp. 884-888.
Banet and Laura continue this theme in Traffic in Feminism by analyzing the inner and outer states. They note that the internal (feminine) cannot resist and therefore is forced to transform under the pressure of external (male) power (Banet and Laura 885). The spatial constraints appear to be highly significant for the realization of the idea of the work. The kitchen’s threshold assumes the function of the main boundary of the narrative. According to Banet and Laura, it represents a kind of line, an existential strip (888). Crossing it, the heroine leaves the world of home and family and enters the world of Arnold Frand, where she will be suppressed and psychologically destroyed. In the analysis, Banet and Laura likewise focus on the work’s title, indicating that it combines the past and future (886). Just as time is divided into two parts, space is separated into two main areas: the world inside and outside.
The heroine lives in these two antagonistic globes simultaneously, adapting to them. This article contributes to the understanding that the behavior of victims of violence is unstable and far from reality. It changes under the external factors created by the abuser. Thus, it becomes clear that the story’s heroine becomes dependent on the man who causes her pain, but she does not see the way back.
Works Cited
Banet, Sarah, and Laura Portwood-Stacer. “The Traffic in Feminism.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 17, no. 5, 2018, pp. 884-888.
Burn, Stephen J. “The Gender of the Neuronovel: Joyce Carol Oates and the Double Brain.” European Journal of American Studies, vol. 16, 2021, pp. 12-32
Gomez, Esther. “Family Relationships in the Fiction of Joyce Carol Oates.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, 2020, pp 1-14.
Moorthi, R., and C. Govindaraj. “Stylistic Analysis in the Select Short Fictions of Joyce Carol Oates.” Think India Journal, vol. 22, no.14, 2019, pp. 8026-8030.
Sleiniute, Modesta. “The Representation of Different Kinds of Obsessive Behaviour in Eight Stories by Joyce Carol Oates.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 3, no. 5, 2020, pp 1-14.