Feminism: A Feminist and Critical Analysis of Donne’s Poetry

“The Flea” and “Woman's Constancy”

A Research Proposal Presented to the Faculty

Of
Department Of English
National University of Modern Languages

Supervisor
Dr. Akbar Sajid

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
of Master of English

By
Farrukh Iqbal
December, 2014

National University of Modern Languages Islamabad

Multan Campus
December, 2014
 ABSTRACT

The research comprises post-structuralist techniques to find out social and cultural

discrimination towards women in Renaissance lifestyle. It is designed to discover

how John Donne has portrayed the marginalization of women in “The Flea” and

“Woman's Constancy”. More specifically, this research is designed to discover how

females at the edges are considered as an annoyed creature from Renaissance

viewpoint regarding their patriarchal viewpoint. The literary textual research further

is designed at determining the common reasons of feminism and the needs of women

to obtain freedom regarding the social and cultural viewpoint of the females at the

limits.

Keywords: Feminism; Gender Discrimination; Femininities; Renaissance Period

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The aim of the existing research is to explain and make clear the techniques Donne

has designed and represented the marginalized women in their poetry from a

particular perspective of feminism. As feminism encourages various opinions, such as

gender changes, gender inequality and gender oppression; hence, the women in “The

Flea” and “Woman's Constancy” proper in the perspective of existing research.

Moreover, the research tends to show marginalization of women from a Renaissance

feminist perspective.

Donne has proven amazing skills in illustrating the numbers and developing a well-

knitted strategy. They are generally a feminist and were one of very few men in the

Renaissance era, who dared to increase the words against social and cultural

inequalities, presented by patriarchal cultures.

1.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

Donne’s “The Flea” and “Woman's Constancy” has a good spot in contemporary

feminist literary works even in the literature. Feminist poet is involved with both

comprising the sexualities of women in literary works as well as female's place in

patriarchal cultures, through providing words to the women at the edges. Main to the

oppressive patriarchy is explanations of what it is to be a woman in patriarchal culture

or society.
1.3 PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

Construction of women identities and psychological oppression towards women, in

“The Flea” and “Woman's Constancy” are the center of attention of analysis. The

main purpose of this research is to find the oppressive components of patriarchy

which usually marginalize independence of women identification.

1.4 DELIMITATION OF STUDY

The analysis focuses on the critical study of poetry of “The Flea” and “Woman's

Constancy”. The analysis does not include the other texts of John Donne.

1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW

The analysis has used the theoretical frameworks advocated by Abrams, Woolf,

Elaine Showalter, Cameron, Deborah Tennon, Dale Spender, Friedan, Kate Miller,

Bell Hooks, Mary Wollstonecraft, Sara Mills, Walter Nash etc. whose feminist

concepts can be necessary to create a knowing on femininities and the oppression of

male dominance towards women. According to them womanliness is a social

construct. The complexity of the age is reflected in the written literature of John

Donne.
1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The analysis pursues descriptive approach and an illustrative strategy, and its

results are based on an in-depth critical and literary feminist analysis of the poems

“The Flea” and “Woman's Constancy”. Since poems have been published with a

highly effective feminist perspective hence, some components of this placement have

been taken for analysis. Moreover, Feminist Stylistics Methods will be

applied to evaluate the text messages.

1.7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How John Donne represent the oppression of male dominance towards women

in “The Flea” and “Woman's Constancy”?

2. How does Donne give a strong voice to the women at the margins in “The

Flea” and “Woman's Constancy”?

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