believe strongly in the teachings of Derrida, post structuralism, and share similar
views on gender and sexuality. These two women may seem as though they share a
lot in common but they are both very different in the ways they discuss
feminism.
Butler is also informed by deconstruction and the difference of gender and sexuality. Butler uses the theory of iteration in terms of gender performance. She discusses binaries through analyzing the unequal power structure and social construct. She goes on to discuss drag and how it disrupts the binary but does not dissolve it. She believes in the performance of heterosexuality and thinks about sexuality in a new way. Butler theorizes performance in a rational and traditional form. She believes in feminism in the 3rd wave form. Her style of writing is unlike Cixous. Butler takes the time to fully explain what she’s writing about and does it with easy. Her writing is more in an academic essay form so following it is much more useful.
Cixous and Butlers writting styles are very different even though they are talking about the same topics. I believe that this is due to what waive of feminism they are part of. Like you said Cixous is a 2nd wave and Butler is a 3rd wave. Since these two waves have such different views I believe that accounts for the different writing styles.
ReplyDeleteCixous also assumed a lot. She believes that the people who would be reading her work would have already read and understood the works that she is referring to which did make it difficult to read.
I find it really interesting how they are talking about similar topics but using such different language. Also it is interesting how the views of femininist can be so different just because of the wave they allign themselves with. Cixous and Butler are perfect examples of this.
I agree with the thoughts of Inquisitive Literatos in terms of the different writing style of each writer. The language of Cixous was greatly influenced by the theories of others, but I go on to consider her relationship with Derrida. Is it possible that she assumed that her readers were familiar with philosopher's works because she was so closely tied with one of the most famous philosophers? It is also curious that a Feminist writer would be so greatly influenced by the works of a man with whom she was intimately involved.
ReplyDeleteCixous's French-Jewish background may have influenced her draw to discuss identity and sense of belonging in societies that are so quick to alienate. Perhaps Cixous greatly understood what it was to question identity in terms that went beyond sexuality and gender and into ethnicity and history.