Content Category
Literary Criticism
Abstract/Description
Paradise Lost has been around since the seventeenth century, and yet there is still something readers cannot agree on: what is up with Eve? I propose that Eve’s role in Paradise Lost can be understood through the lens of third-wave feminism, the United States’ current feminist wave. Eve matches well with third-wave feminists in her independence and complexity of character, but what distinguishes her from feminists today is more potent in understanding her role in Paradise Lost. When faced with decisions of the self, Eve ultimately looks outward to Adam and her future posterity and chooses selflessly, exercising restraint where a third-wave feminist would perhaps practice indulgence. This repression of her desires for the good of those around her leads her to become both the epic’s and mankind's hero.
Copyright and Licensing of My Content
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Origin of Submission
as part of a class
Faculty Involvement
Dr. Bruce Wilson Young
Location
4116 JFSB
Start Date
18-3-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
18-3-2016 2:00 PM
Included in
Eve's Feminist Wave
4116 JFSB
Paradise Lost has been around since the seventeenth century, and yet there is still something readers cannot agree on: what is up with Eve? I propose that Eve’s role in Paradise Lost can be understood through the lens of third-wave feminism, the United States’ current feminist wave. Eve matches well with third-wave feminists in her independence and complexity of character, but what distinguishes her from feminists today is more potent in understanding her role in Paradise Lost. When faced with decisions of the self, Eve ultimately looks outward to Adam and her future posterity and chooses selflessly, exercising restraint where a third-wave feminist would perhaps practice indulgence. This repression of her desires for the good of those around her leads her to become both the epic’s and mankind's hero.