The Female Perspective on Sexual Acts in the Modern Novel Book Review by Nicky
A comparative analysis of the female perspective on sexual acts in the as depicted in Laura Esquivel's "Like Water for Chocolate" and Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at "Point Zero".
# 146259
| 1,549 words
| 2 sources
| MLA
| 2010
| 
Published
on Dec 24, 2010
in
English
(Analysis)
, Literature
(Comparative Literature)
, Women Studies
(Culture)
, Gender and Sexuality
(General)
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Description:
This paper examines how "Woman at Point Zero" and "Like Water for Chocolate" show instances of sexuality and the sex act in very different cultures. It looks at how both novels explore the relationship of the feminine to the act of sexual intercourse with conclusions that are perhaps surprising, and in many ways strikingly similar. The paper also discusses how these very modern stories illustrate the impossibility of truly suppressing female sexual desire, or even of mis-categorizing it as subservient to dominant male forces and how attempts to do so, as these novels show, are not only futile but highly destructive.
From the Paper:
"Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate portrays a very different vision of sexuality and the sex act. The Mexico to which Esquivel and her characters belong is marked by the forced mixture of two conflicting cultures that occurred during Spanish colonization. In a way, the history of the country mirrors the destructive and dominant view of the sex act; Spanish invaders brought their restrictive brand of Catholicism to the indigenous peoples of the area, figuratively raping the land and culture while forcing their own beliefs and social structures on what would be considered in many ways a much more liberal culture (and, it might be noted, literally raping many of the indigenous women). Today's Mexican culture and ethnic identity constitutes the blending of these two opposing forces, and the portrayal of sexuality and the sex act in Like Water for Chocolate clearly illustrates the conflicts between these opposing forces."Sample of Sources Used:
- Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. New York: Anchor, 1995.
- Saadawi, Nawal El. Woman at Point Zero. London: Zed Books, 1990.
Cite this Book Review:
APA Format
The Female Perspective on Sexual Acts in the Modern Novel (2010, December 24)
Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/book-review/the-female-perspective-on-sexual-acts-in-the-modern-novel-146259/
MLA Format
"The Female Perspective on Sexual Acts in the Modern Novel" 24 December 2010.
Web. 20 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/book-review/the-female-perspective-on-sexual-acts-in-the-modern-novel-146259/>