2. JeanetteWinterson
Born 27th August 1959, in Manchester.
She was adopted by the age of one, by her new mother who
was of a devout Christian faith.
Winterson was stifled by her mothers obsessive religious
ideology, and proceeded to rebel by reading books that her
mother felt were ‘immoral’.
She found that literature enhanced her vivid imagination, and
allowed her to escape the clutches of her over-zealous mother,
even if it was just for that moment.
Winterson came out as a lesbian at the age of sixteen. Her
mother was outraged, and Winterson was thrown out of the
family home
3. Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry
Winterson became inspired by her own experiences, and became
famous after Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985).
Sexing the Cherry (1989) is Winterson’s forth publication. The focus of
this novel is centred on the two primary characters, Jordan and Dog-
Woman.
Set in the middle of the 17th Century, and then during modernity (1989)
as the novel progresses. Fairy tale elements are blended into the
narrative, whilst existing in a historically accurate world.
Coming of age, experimentation and exploration, love, sexuality and
gender are prominent themes.
4. Pineapples and Bananas…
Winterson makes use of metaphorical motifs in order to guide the reader;
the voice of the narrator frequently changes, therefore the motifs act as
signposts.
However, the motifs are ‘mismatched’ in regards to conservative
stereotypes regarding gender roles and representation in both traditional
and modern life.
The banana motif, a fruit that usually represents masculinity, is used as
the symbol for Dog-Woman’s narrative.
The pineapple motif, voluptuous in appearance in such a way that it can
be interpreted as feminine, is assigned to the narrative of Jordan.
Winterson maintains these motifs throughout Sexing the Cherry (with a
slight variation when the narrative timeline becomes notably sporadic),
causing the reader to reflect upon their own perceptions of masculinity
and femininity through the primary characters of her novel.
5. The Gender Identity of Dog-Woman
“ I am too huge for love. No one, male or female has dared to
approach me. They are afraid to scale my mountains”
-Dog-Woman (pg 34).
Dog-Woman’s gender identity is not tied to her being female.
She embraces her ‘masculine’ traits, and takes pride in her
unparalleled strength in which she over powers and kills men.
However, despite her overwhelming strength and masculinity, she
still maintains aspects of what are considered to be feminine traits.
Dog-Woman’s sexual orientation is alluded to, but it is not an
exclusive factor in her personal gender identity.
6. The Gender of Jordan
“ I have met a number of people who, anxious to be free of the burdens of their
gender, have dressed themselves men as women and women as men”
-Jordan. (p31).
Jordan experiments with gender identity, and spends a period of his
life living as a woman.
Through this period of experimentation, he gains experience and
insight in to the world of women and femininity.
The sexual orientation of Jordan remains unaffected by his personal
gender identity; he remains obsessively in love with Fortunata, one of
the twelve dancing princesses.
7. Timed Activity
Sketch the TOP half of Dog-Woman or Jordan down to waist, the fold your paper to hide your sketch.
When complete, pass the folded paper to the person to the left. Ensure that there is a little bit of pencil line
SHOWING so the next person can complete the sketch.
Consider how gender is represented in your sketch, i.e. apply masculine and/or feminine traits.
8. Summary
Gender is not linear. It is flexible and variable.
Sexuality and gender identity are separate entities.
Masculinity and femininity can coexist within the same person, to varying degrees.
Remaining with the social boundaries regarding opinions on traditional gender roles can be limiting.
Making assumptions regarding gender identity is misleading and inaccurate.
9. Bibliography
Goodreads (2017) Sexing the Cherry. Accessed: online. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15050.Sexing_the_Cherry. Date accessed: January 2017.
HD Wallpaper Pop (2017) Banana Funny Fruit HD Wallpapers. Accessed: online. http://www.hdwallpaperspop.com/banana-funny-fruit-hd-wallpapers/. Date accessed:
December 2016.
Morris, E (2011) Deviant Art. Accessed: online. http://sexy-pineapple.deviantart.com/. Date accessed: December 2016.
Wikipedia (2017) Jeanette Winterson. Accessed: online. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanette_Winterson. Date accessed: January 2017.
Wikipedia (2017) Post feminism. Accessed: online. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postfeminism. Date accessed: January 2017.
Winterson, J (1989) Sexing the Cherry. London. Vintage.
Winterson, J (2011) Why Be Happy When You Cold Be Normal? London. Jonathan Cape.
Winterson, J (2012) Jeanette Winterson. Accessed: online. http://www.jeanettewinterson.com/archive/july-2012/. Date accessed: January 2017.
