In the early 20th century, many writers began to give a more complex, nuanced, and realistic portrayal of issues surrounding gender. Virginia Woolf, often considered one of the most important voices in feminist literature, wrote about this concept in a way that, given that it was a recently "new" issue in her time, is surprisingly artful and, to use a modern term, queer. . James Joyce, similarly, approached this concept in a bold and dynamic way, presenting gender as a complex internalized issue, a concept that defines our identities. Woolf and Joyce, in their respective texts, present gender in a very realistic way that delves deeper into this concept. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay in “Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street » Woolf offers a female character who exhibits both the internalization of gender, as well as the gender inherent in language. The opening sentence of the story features this kind of language: "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the gloves herself." Clarissa Dalloway is first introduced by her official title, Mrs., specifying that she is married, and thus defining her character as a wife. By clarifying her marital status, Woolf projects onto the character of Clarissa all of the reader's assumptions about the married woman as a role in the early twentieth century; adored, servile, restrained in a multitude of socio-economic and cultural ways. Additionally, following this clarification with “said she would buy the gloves herself” presents further gendered assumptions. The fact that Clarissa decided to purchase the gloves herself implies that she could have asked someone else, most likely a servant, to do so, thus presenting her as upper-middle to upper-middle class , a hypothesis that solidifies when we learn that she lives. at Westminster and is the husband of an MP. The action of purchasing gloves is inherently feminine, focuses on fashion, an insignificant thing, and thus presents both a solidification of her gender role and a reaffirmation of her class status since she is able to spend money for such triviality. So, by carefully reading the first sentence of the story, we can determine that Clarissa Dalloway is married and comes from a wealthy background, showing how Woolf exploits the gender inherent in language to provide a better understanding of her characters. The internalization of gender is presented through Woolf's use of stream of consciousness, a style that she and Joyce notably used to its maximum potential. The internalization of gender in Clarissa's consciousness is highlighted in a passage that follows Clarissa learning that her friend, Milly Whitbread, has consulted doctors: "Of course," she thought as she continued on her way, "Milly has to about my age – fifty – fifty-two. . So that’s probably it, Hugh’s manner said it, said it perfectly.” The "it" that sent Milly to the doctor is implied menopause due to Milly's age. Clarissa's internalized gender manifests through her inability, even in her own inner monologue, to say the word menopause, but rather to imply it and Woolf forcing the reader to fill in the gaps. It's implied that menopause is too risky or rude a subject to mention, too physical and private, and the fact that Clarissa can't even bring herself to say the word internally shows how much she's been conditioned into the polite role of a mid-to-senior level woman. classy woman. Gender, Woolf therefore leaves ithearing, is more than an individual's outward appearance, as well as their actions and what they are allowed to do under the law. Rather, it is something that is internalized, that penetrates deeply into our sense of self and identity, and even goes so far as to censor our thoughts and shape our language. Through the use of a revolutionary writing technique, stream of consciousness, Woolf is able to present gender realistically and therefore highlights gender issues that were previously ignored. Joyce, through the use of stream of consciousness, shows a similar internalization of gender and gender roles. In the episode “Nausicaa” from his magnum opus Ulysses, Joyce depicts an interaction on a public beach between his novel's protagonist, Leopold Bloom, and a young woman, Gerty McDowell. The internalization of gender is primarily presented through Gerty's stream of consciousness, not only through its content but also its overall tone and style. As he does in much of the rest of the novel, Joyce uses an eclectic range of styles, and in this section he imitates the style of the romance novels that Gerty confesses to loving. The story opens with a scene that, compared to the rest of the novel, is highly sentimental and romanticized: “The summer evening began to bend the world in its mysterious embrace. Far to the west the sun was setting and the last glow of a too fleeting day lingered lovingly on the sea and the beach, on the proud promontory of dear old Howth, guarding as always the waters of the bay. » This incredibly picturesque description is drawn from the novel, especially given its general consistency compared to the often chaotic and distorted descriptions of the novel's settings. This overly romanticized style goes further than the simple description of the landscape and influences Gerty's stream of consciousness. Gerty is presented, either by the narrator or by herself, in an overly exaggerated manner: "She was declared beautiful by everyone she knew... Her figure was light and graceful, even suggesting fragility... The waxy pallor of his face was almost spiritual. in its ivory purity, although its rosebud mouth is a true Cupid's bow, perfect Greek. internalized gender stereotypes to such a degree that it altered her own perception of herself, conditioning her to act like a romantic, tragic heroine: "Her very soul is in her eyes and she would give worlds to be in the privacy of her own familiar room where, giving in to tears, she could give a good cry and relieve her pent-up feelings. Gender is shown, once again, to affect both the language and consciousness of the individual, with Gerty having been linguistically affected by literature written to appeal to young women to such an extent that she presents it as a one-dimensional character, void of substance beyond an interest in his own looks and melodramatic love interests. But the works of Woolf and Joyce do more than just show how, internally and through language, gender affects the individual, they go deeper and address issues in a way that can be seen way before their time. In her novel Orlando, Woolf describes the life of the main character, Orlando, whose life spans several centuries and whose body changes between male and female genders. In Orlando, Woolf writes: “There are many arguments in favor of the idea that it is the clothes which wear us and not we who wear them; we can make them take the mold of an arm or a chest, but they can mold our heart, our brain, our tongue to their liking... If we are to compare the image of Orlando as a man with that from Orlando as a woman, we..