She changes by intrigue : irony, femininity and feminism / Lydia Rainford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rainford, Lydia, 1972-

Series:

Genus--gender in modern culture ; 6.

Genus--gender in modern culture, 1568-1602 ; 6

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Femininity (Philosophy).

Femininity in literature.

Feminist theory.

Irony.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (261 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; New York, NY : Rodopi, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Contemporary feminist theorists have implied a special affinity between women and irony because of their 'double' relation to the prevailing order of things: both speak from within this order while remaining 'other' to it in some way. Irony can be regarded as the obvious mode in which a feminist might speak, as it reflects her relation to the patriarchal structure while refusing to validate the truth of the current sexual hierarchy. She Changes by Intrigue undertakes the first sustained analysis of the parallels between irony, femininity and feminism. By retracing the association of these terms through canonical and contemporary continental philosophy, the book seeks to illuminate a notion of sexual agency that has until now remained shadowy, in spite of its prevalence. Examining the recurrence of the 'ironic feminine' in texts by Kristeva, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Irigaray, Derrida and Kofman, it argues that a radical revaluation of the legacy of patriarchal thought in feminism is necessary before irony can be embraced as a feminist strategy. In this context, She Changes by Intrigue offers a new reading of what it means to write as a feminist 'subject'. This volume will be of interest to students and academics working in the fields of gender studies, continental philosophy and critical / cultural theory.

Contents:

Introduction

The 'Impossible Dialectic': Julia Kristeva

The Anxiety of Irony: Søren Kierkegaard

Unsustainable Change? The Traps of Ironic Femininity

'Irony and Something Else': Jacques Derrida

Miming History: Jacques Derrida

Afterword: The Lesson of Irony, The Future of Feminism

Works Cited.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

94-012-0113-7

1-4237-9138-X

OCLC:

70857703

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789401201131 DOI