RT info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis
T1 Challenging Gender Norms: Performativity and Identity in Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and Recitatif by Toni Morrison
A1 El Jabboury, Siham
A2 Universidad de Valladolid. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
K1 Gender norms
K1 Performativity
K1 Feminist theory
K1 Intersectionality
K1 5701.11 Enseñanza de Lenguas
AB In the close relationship between a mother's words and her daughter's listening, and fromthe purity of early authentic friendships to their unavoidable dissolution, gender manifests as botha constraint and an opportunity. This thesis examines the intricate construction of identity in ToniMorrison’s Recitatif, which uses racial ambiguity to reveal identity development, and JamaicaKincaid’s Girl, where a mother’s exhaustive list of directives delineates the boundaries ofacceptable femininity. The analysis highlights how literary texts become a platform forchallenging social norms, especially gender roles and identity. Drawing on Judith Butler's conceptof performativity, this study identifies widespread and intricate patterns of gender formation, fromthe drama of Caribbean womanhood in the household to the intersection of class, gender, and racein America's evolving culture. Morrison's unorthodox story highlights the fluidity of identitiesacross various cultural contexts, whereas Kincaid's story reveals how gender roles are passeddown from mother to daughter like an inherited cultural tradition. The study's comparativeanalysis demonstrates that both narratives illustrate the manufactured nature of gender identity byusing creative language and ambiguity in storytelling to highlight the repetitive practices thateither support or challenge fixed and conventional identities.
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/80128
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/80128
LA eng
NO Departamento de Filología Inglesa
DS UVaDOC
RD 28-nov-2025