Stereotyping and Role Assignment to Women in Fiction: A Specific Assessment of Malamud’s Novels

Dr. Prerna Malhotra

Dr. Prerna Malhotra

Keywords: Stereotyping, male chauvinism, gender discourse, sexuality, sex versus gender, feminism

Abstract

Men have a be-all place in Malamud and the heroines play a subsidiary role to the heroes. Though Malamud’s contemporary, Saul Bellow was more of a male Chauvinistic than Malamud, yet the latter, too, cannot be condoned for the step-fatherly treatment meted out to women. Female characters are given marginal slot in the novels either to support in the male quest or thwart his cause. Except in one or two novels, female characters are non-significant before the protagonists. They, as individuals, do not have their own identity; rather have been created to serve the purpose of the writer as well as his plot and male characters.

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Author Biography

Dr. Prerna Malhotra

Dr. Prerna Malhotra is an Assistant Professor, Department of English, Ram Lal Anand College, University of Delhi. She has co-authored six books and got many articles published in various journals and newspapers. She has translated and edited several papers and books. She was also part of the Editorial Team of the 10th Asia TEFL International Conference. She has also worked as compere on All India Radio.

She is a recipient of the 32nd Dr. S. Radha Krishnan Memorial National Teacher Award - 2016. She was recognized for her organizational skill of a National seminar on Human Rights in 2013 by National Human Rights Commission.

References

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