Table Of Content

OBSTACLESTOTRANSFORMATION: MUTED-GROUPTHEORYINALITERATURECLASSROOM By BARBARAG. PACE ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL OFTHEUNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT OFTHEREQUIREMENTFORTHEDEGREEOF DOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA 1996 UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDALIBRARIES Copyright1996 by BarbaraG. Pace ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Somanyhavehelpedmethroughthisprocess.First,Ithankthe memPersofmycommittee,particularlyBenF.Nelms,forhonoringmy perspectivesandforhavingthefaith(andhope)thatitwouldallmakesense andcometogether. Ialsoacknowledgethatwithoutthehonestyandcandor ofJane,thewomanwhowaskindenoughtoletmeenterherclassroom,this studywouldnotexist. Iamgratefulforthesupportofmyparents,RuhlL.PaceandJane TracyPace,whodespitethefactthatIamwellpastthetraditionalageofa collegestudent,cametomyrescuewithanoccasionalloanandwith consistentmoralsupport. Ialsoamconstantlygratefulforthespokenandunspokengiftsthat comefrommydearestfriend,CherylLiles,whohasbeenandcontinuesto beanadvocateformenomatterwhatpathsorturnsItake.Ialsothank KareyGodwinandSusanKeel,whoremindedmethattherewasaworldoff- campusandkeptmetetheredtothatreality.AndIofferaspecialthanksto Boomie,whomademesmileandtaughtmethatthiswasnotthemost importantthinginmylife,andtoCharlotteHogsettwhotaughtmethat, iii nevertheless,itwasimportantenoughtocomplete.Ourbriefencounterwas arichapprenticeship. Finally,IacknowledgethefaithandkindnessofDeniseStandiford,a realliveEnglishteacherwhostruggleswiththeissuesItalkabouthereevery singleday.Herhumorandangerandquestionskeptmegoingbackand readingandrippingeachsentenceapartandputtingitbacktogetherand thinkingaboutit,astheyhaveforaverylongtime. iv TABLEOFCONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Hi ABSTRACT vii CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 NatureoftheProblem 4 SignificanceoftheStudy 9 PossibleUseoftheResults 11 2REVIEWOFTHELITERATURE 14 Introduction 14 FeministCriticalTheory 15 AndrocentrismandEnculturation 21 Muted-GroupTheory 34 FeministLiteraryTheory 38 Reader-ResponseTheory 44 3METHODS 61 SettingoftheStudy 62 TheResearchPerspectives 64 FeministEducationalCriticism 73 TheCollectionofData 74 TheAnalysisofData 81 4BEGINNINGS:SETTINGPRIORITIES,BUILDINGCOMMUNITY 92 . Description 92 Interpretation 106 Thematics 109 v 5THECLASSEVOLVES 118 Description H3 Interpretation 134 Thematics 133 6CONSTRUCTINGMEANINGSOF"THEYELLOWWALLPAPER" . 146 Description 146 Interpretation 165 Thematics 174 7EVALUATIONOFTHEPARTICIPANTSANDTHEEVENTS .... 186 TheParticipants 187 TheEvents 212 8IMPLICATIONS,LIMITATIONS,ANDFUTUREINVESTIGATIONS 224 Implications 224 Limitations 231 FutureInvestigations 233 BIBLIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH .... VI AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements fortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy OBSTACLESTOTRANSFORMATION: MUTED-GROUPTHEORYINALITERATURECLASSROOM By BarbaraG.Pace August1996 Chair:BenF.Nelms MajorDepartment:InstructionandCurriculum Thisresearchintowomeninaliteratureclassroomwassituatedina theoreticalperspectivewovenfromconceptsonthesocialconstructionof reality,theandrocentricnatureofthatreality,andtheconceptofmuted-group theory.Accordingtomuted-grouptheorythosegroupswhohavenotcreated thestructuresthatdefineeverydaylifeare,nevertheless,boundbythose structures.Enculturatedinanandrocentricworld,womenandgirlsare membersofamuted-group.Thisresearchwasaninvestigationintohowthis membershipmayshapewomen'sresponsestoliteraturewithinthematrixofa literatureclassroom. Iconductedaqualitativestudy,usingethnographicandfeminist methods,andIrenderedtheresultsasaneducationalcriticism.Iinterviewed vii studentsabouttheirresponsestoliteratureandtheirperspectivesontheir futuresandpersonalbeliefs,andIfocusedontheirresponsestoGilman's"The YellowWallpaper." Severalobstaclestotransformationemerged.Thestudentswere thwartedbyboththeacademicsettingandbytheirenculturationasmembersof amutedgroup.First,intheclassroomtherewasafocusonanassertivestyleof academicprose.Thisfocusfavoredthelanguageofcertaintyand aggressivenessandtheideologyreflectedinofficialreality.Thisconcentration andthestudents'desireforhighgradesseemedatleastpartiallyresponsible forlimitingthestudents'responsetotheliteratureandtotheliberationist pedagogypracticedbytheirinstructor. Second,thestudentswerehamperedbytheirenculturationasmembers ofamutedgroup.Theirinitialpersonalresponsestoliteratureweresubmerged inthepublicdiscussionandlostintheirformalinterpretations.Thestudents weregroupedintotwocategorieswithintheframeworkofthemuted-group. Thosenotconsciousoftheiroppressionemergedasventriloquistswhovoiced thedominantperspectivesofthestatusquoandexpressedintolerance.Those beginningtorecognizetherealitiesembeddedintheirstatusaswomeninan androcentricsocietyappearedaschameleons,awaretheyhadbeencastby externalcontextsbutnotyetconsciousthattheyhadthepowertoalterthose contexts.Bothofthesegroupsresistedtheinsightsthatmulticulturaland . feministliteratureiscapableofproviding. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Foronemagicalyear,IlivedonMoonlightBeachinsouthern California.EachdayImanagedtoputinafewhoursridingthewavesonmy boogieboard.AsIbobbedintheocean,sittingonmypatchofcompressed foamandwatchingforthenextrideablewave,Iwouldimaginetheopposite shoreorstrangeseacreaturesbumpinginthelightlessmurkdeepinthe middleofthePacific.Theseimageswerelogicalextensionsoftheworldin whichIsat,andtheywereeasytosee.Ididnotthinkofthemillionsofstars dimmedtoinvisibilitybythesun.ThoughIknewtheywerethere,theywere notpartofmyconsciousness,notpartofthosemomentsintime. Inmanywaysthebeliefs,behaviors,andexperiencesthatchartthe livesofhumansarelikestarsdimmedtoinvisibility.Mostofthetimewe navigateourdayswithoutacknowledgingthatanyforceotherthanourselves maydirectouractions.Weuselanguagewithoutrealizingthethicknessand weightofitshistory.Weexchangegoodsandsmileswithoutthinkingofthe enormousculturalpatternsthatweareenacting.Werespondtoartand literatureinsistingfpralltheworldthatourresponsesareindependentofour 1 dailylivesandthattheyfloataboveourpoliticalbeliefsandpersonal perspectives. Yet,whenwereadliterature,thesocialstructuresthattintandshape ourlivesarepartofourresponseseventhoughtheymaynotbepartofour consciousness.WhenthevillagersdemonizeHesterPrynneinHawthorne's TheScarletLetter(1850/1961),werespondtotheiractionsfromour positionsinourownvillageswithourownstandardsandbeliefsabout individualityandprejudiceandreligion.Fromtheseperspectives,drenched byourenculturation,weempathizeandspeculate.Wejudgehuman behaviorandcriticizeorapplaudhumanmotives.Likethevillagersin Hawthorne'stale,wedecidetocastoutcharactersortoembracethem.Our decisionsarebasedonperspectivesformed,atleastinpart,byour immersioninaspecificcultureinaspecifictime. Perhapsnoforcehasthepowertoinfluenceresponsestolifeand literatureasprofoundlyasthesex-rolestereotypeswehaveinternalized duringourapprenticeshipinasocialworld.Aswehavegrowninto consciousness,wehaveabsorbedlanguage.Wehavelearnedtonamethe worldasthosearoundusnameit,andwehavelearnedtomimicthe behaviorsofthoseweobserve.Weseeanofficalrealityreflectedinlaws andliterature,inmediaandfilm,inthehabituatedbehaviorsthatmakeup ourday-to-dayexistences.Webecomesaturatedbyeverydaylife,andour