| AN INTERESTING feminist reading
of the tradition of the representation of Ophelia. Showalter does an excellent
job of locating the paintings within their historical context and of explicating
them as indices of their period's attitudes about women and feminine sexuality;
the historical development is fascinating and well written. The study is
unique among these selections in its attention to a single character. Limitations:
Showalter doesn't go very far beyond the historical argument she's made
to theorize about it at all. The title mentions the "responsibilities of
feminist criticism," but the article does not follow through on that implied
promise in a very satisfactory way. (Rachel Mines.) |