This study examines the language use towards male and female characters in the children’s novel 'Matilda' written by Roald Dahl. The fact of an uneven depiction of female and male characters in children’s literature, which is proved in many studies, is the base of this analysis. With this work I examine if Dahl uses gender stereotyped language in his popular novel as well.
The selection of this book has a personal background. When I was an Au pair in Australia an audiobook with all stories of Roald Dahl fell into my hands. The owner, a boy, said I should definitely listen to those because they are “awesome”. For this kind of study I thought Matilda might be interesting because the protagonist is a girl.
The main emphasis of the analysis is put on the number of characters and their occupation, the used adjectives to describe the characters, and the verbs describing the characters’ actions. That leads to the following hypotheses:
Firstly, female characters are underrepresented in extensive roles; secondly, male characters are depicted in more different occupations than female characters; thirdly, different adjectives are used to describe female and male characters; and finally, female characters are portrayed predominantly in gender-stereotyped activities. The overall interest of this work is if the characters in this children’s novel are mainly described in a gender-stereotyped way.
My work is structured as follows: I will provide a rough introduction in Gender studies and especially in the field of Gender and Language in the first chapter. Further I point out the central matters of the research in Gender and Children’s literature and introduce a few studies that support my own examination and are the basis for the hypotheses. The first part in the second chapter gives an introduction to the sample book as well as the author.
The second point describes the procedure of the research, the consistence of the data and how it is collected. How the data is arranged for the analysis is to be found in the third part of chapter two. The third chapter starts with the analysis of the occurring characters and their occupations, followed by an analysis of the adjectives to find out if the author uses gender stereotyped words to describe female and male characters. In the fourth part of this chapter the verbs are examined for gender stereotyping female characters. The conclusion sums up the work and gives a prospect of further questions.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Literature Review
1.1 Gender Studies – A Short Concept Explanation
1.2 Gender and Language – A Short Concept Explanation
1.3 The Discourse Approach
1.4 Gender and Children’s Literature
2. Methodology
2.1 Data and Sample
2.1.1 The Author R. Dahl
2.1.2 The Children’s Novel Matilda
2.2 Procedure
2.3 Framework
3. Results and Discussion
3.1 The Characters
3.2 The Occupations of the Characters
3.3 Adjectives Describing the Characters
3.4 The Verbs Connected to the Characters
3.5 Biography of Author and Sample
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the presence of gender-stereotyped language within Roald Dahl's children's novel Matilda. By analyzing the representation of male and female characters, their occupations, and the linguistic descriptors and verbs associated with them, the research aims to determine whether the author reinforces or challenges traditional gender norms in children's literature.
- Gender representation and character distribution in children’s literature.
- The impact of gender-stereotyped language on young readers.
- Comparative analysis of occupation diversity among male and female characters.
- Linguistic evaluation of adjectives and verbs as markers of gender bias.
Extract from the Book
1.1 Gender Studies – A Short Concept Explanation
Gender Studies is a young field in the sciences, it started with the feminist movement in the 1970s. Gender Studies emerged from the Women’s Studies, which had a scientific view on women in a society dominated by men (Schößler 2008). Gender was defined in a new way and is not used as a synonym to sex anymore. Sex is connoted as a physical, biological and anatomic condition of women and men. However, gender is defined as a “cultural or social construct” (Litosseliti 2006: 10), which describes social and cultural acts that constitute men and women, for example traits that stand for femaleness or maleness (Litosseliti 2006; Schößler 2008).
There is an often-cited quotation of Simone de Beauvoir from the year 1949 which sums up the central idea from a feminist perspective very well: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" (Simons 1999: 160). She already expressed that gender is made by the society and is learned as a child. The definition of gender describes also the exploratory focus of Gender Studies, surely it is a wide field today and there are many categories. One of the categories of Gender Studies that I would like to focus on is Gender and Language.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the scope of the study, the personal motivation behind choosing Matilda, and defines the core hypotheses regarding character representation and gender stereotyping.
1. Literature Review: Provides a theoretical foundation in Gender Studies, the discourse approach to gender and language, and summarizes existing academic research on gender bias in children's literature.
2. Methodology: Details the criteria and analytical framework used to examine the novel, including the selection of data, the author's background, and the qualitative and quantitative research procedures.
3. Results and Discussion: Presents the findings regarding character numbers, occupations, adjectives, and verbs, while evaluating these results against the study's original hypotheses.
Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings, confirming that while some stereotyping exists, the text also demonstrates instances of non-stereotypical characterization that challenge traditional gender expectations.
Keywords
Gender Studies, Children's Literature, Matilda, Roald Dahl, Gender Stereotypes, Linguistic Analysis, Character Occupations, Adjectives, Verbs, Discourse Approach, Gender Representation, Feminist Perspective, Social Construct, Literary Analysis, Gender Bias.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this assignment?
The assignment examines the use of gender-stereotyped language in the children's novel Matilda by Roald Dahl, specifically looking at how characters are depicted through occupations, adjectives, and verbs.
What are the central thematic fields?
The paper covers Gender Studies, the relationship between gender and language, and the discourse surrounding gender representations in children's media.
What is the research goal?
The goal is to determine if Roald Dahl employs gender-stereotyped language and to verify or refute four specific hypotheses regarding character underrepresentation, occupational diversity, and the use of gender-linked descriptors.
Which methodology is employed?
The author uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, counting characters and occupations, and analyzing the frequency and connotation of adjectives and verbs, based on established criteria from previous researchers like Turner-Bowker and McDonald.
What does the main body cover?
It provides a literature review, describes the research process, presents data analysis regarding character traits and occupations, and discusses the findings in relation to gender-biased language.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Gender Studies, Matilda, Roald Dahl, gender stereotypes, linguistic analysis, and children’s literature.
How does the author's biography influence the text?
The author suggests that Roald Dahl’s upbringing in a female-dominated household and his exposure to liberal views on women in Norway may have contributed to a less stereotyped depiction of female characters in his work.
What were the findings concerning occupations?
Contrary to the hypothesis that males would have more diverse occupations, the study found that both genders occupy a similar range of roles, refuting the expectation of male occupational dominance.
How are verbs used to indicate gender bias?
The analysis of verbs revealed that while stereotypical female activities are predominant, there are significant overlaps, and both genders are often linked to neutral or non-stereotypical actions.
- Quote paper
- Karolin Liebig (Author), 2015, Gender-Stereotyping in Children's Literature. A Case Study on the children's novel "Matilda" by Roald Dahl, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/322313
