A gynocritical reading of twelve poems compiled in Rebecca Anonuevo's Bago Ang Babae

• Main Author: Lacson, Azenith S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1999
• Subjects: English Language and Literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/1699
• Institution: De La Salle University

A woman has always been considered as the weaker sex, specially in a patriarchal society. They are confined in the assumptions and presumptions imposed upon them by the society. Due to these notions, the real essence of a woman is almost never known and can only be rarely revealed through written works of literature by women themselves. Applying Elaine Showalter's theory Gynocriticism, this paper aims to search for the unvoiced female culture through the different experiences of women. These experiences can be seen and are reflected through Rebecca Añonuevo's collection of poems entitled Bago Ang Babae. Since Gynocriticism looks at how a woman writes about life, experiences and roles of women like her, this paper is concerned in analyzing roles of women, and how a female writer widens the horizon a woman can reach, thus subverting the pre-conceived notions while revealing the real essence of a woman. Also, this paper answers if Anonuevo, through her poems, can be considered as a true feminist writer.