2. The Story
The story is about a princess Vis and a prince Ramin. Before Vis was
born, Shahru, Vis’s mother, promises Mobad, Ramin’s brother, that she
will marry her daughter to Mobad after refusing his proposal to Shahru.
After giving birth to Vis, she sends her to a nurse. There, Vis spends her
childhood with Ramin. After Vis returns home, Shahru arranges a
marriage with Viru, one of her son, for Vis. Mobad hears about the
marriage and sends Zard to remind Shahru about their promise. Vis
refuses and Mobad goes to war with Viru and kills Vis’s father. Mobad
does not win the war and he seeks another way to get Vis by bribing
Shahru. Shahru agrees Mobad to takes away Vis. On the way, Ramin falls
in love with Vis. With the help from nurse, Ramin meets Vis and they
admit their love to each other. Mobad finds out and seeks every ways to
separate them. He succeeds in a sense that Ramin leaves after his love
with Vis is discovered. After he leaves, Ramin marries a girl called Gol.
Vis finds about this and struggles to find their reunion. Bored from his
marriage, Ramin goes back to Vis. They escape from Mobad. After
Mobad dies, Ramin sits on the throne and marries Vis. They lives
together for 83 years.
3. Feminism 101:
Debunking Myths
All feminists are women
Feminists are anyone who believe that women are equal to
men. (Modern feminists tend to also embrace
intersectionality.)
All feminists are lesbian
Feminists can be (and are) on any part of the LGBTQQIA
continuum.
All feminists don’t wear bras or make up and have hairy legs
While some feminists do these things, not all do. Feminists
believe that there is no wrong way to be a girl.
4. Feminism 101:
Debunking Myths
Feminists hate men/Think women are better than men
Feminists believe men and women are equal and want both to
have the same rights. They are not looking for revenge on men.
Feminists hate sex and sexuality
Feminists believe that whether or not someone chooses to have sex
has no bearing on their character.
However they don’t like sexualization when it leads to
objectification.
Feminists think sexism only hurts women
Feminists argue that patriarchy also harms men.
“Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots,
'cause it's okay to be a boy. But for a boy to look like a girl is
degrading, ‘cause you think that being a girl is degrading.”
- Madonna
7. The Presentation
Examining if Vis from a feminist perspective: Is she an
object/reduced to her sexual organs? Or is she an
empowered person?
Comparing her to female protagonists
We’ll be looking at:
Agency
Story Influence
Character Development
Transgression
Sexuality
8. Agency: What is It?
“Capacity for individualized choice and action”
- http://www.britannica.com
9. Agency and Vis
Does Vis have agency? Or are decisions forced upon her?
Vis's agency is stolen when she is forced to wed Mobad.
Makes Mobad impotent, so she doesn't have to have sex with
him.
Vis chooses to meet Ramin and have sex with him because she
wants sex
P.121 “And, I admit desire lives in my heart….”
Vis elopes with Ramin.
Vis purposely lures Ramin over, only to reject him.
Vis chooses to follow after Ramin and reconcile with him.
10. Agency: Other Women
Layla shares very similar story with Vis.
Layla is forced marry a man she doesn’t love and her agency is
stolen.
Layla refuses to sleep with her husband.
But Layla stays passive throughout the whole story.
She suffers from the constraint of her marriage.
P.163 “Layla was a treasure to others,but a burden to
herself…he (her husband) was for her a serpent coiled
around her… she saw him as a dragon holding her in his
jaws.
11. Agency: Other Women
Zulaykha is a female very close, by our definition, to be
a empowered person.
She doesn’t lose her agency. Her action is influencing
and she grows.
She is able to do whatever she wants to seduce Yusuf
In fact, she is one of the example of “eternal feminine”
according to Bouhdiba.
12. Influence Defined
When a character’s actions have an effect on the overall
plot.
When their presence and choices makes a difference.
13. Vis’s Influence
Does Vis have influence? Do her actions change the course of
the story?
She is the one who makes (the nurse make) Mobad impotent
P.72 “…Think of some trick to make him impotent…..”
This leads to her and Mobad being unable to have sex and the
‘preservation’ of her virginity.
She chooses to have sex and elope with Ramin
This leads to conflict between Ramin and Mobad
Vis’ continual meetings with Ramin lead to Mobad’s loss of self
and sanity
Vis’ rejection of Ramin after her letter drives him to stay out in
the freezing cold snow.
14. Influence of Other Women
Again, Layla does two thing throughout the story which
involves other people and seeks a breakout.
She writes a letter to Majnun and escapes from her home.
P.149 “Layla managed to escape from the tent. She
sensed that this was not an ordinary night!”
But none of her action has effect to distance between her
and Majnun.
Zulayhka is influencing enough to take away Yusuf ’s
freedom.
15. Character Development
Round Character: a character in fiction whose personality,
background, motives, and other features are fully delineated by the
author.
Flat Character: an easily recognized character type in fiction who may
not be fully delineated but is useful in carrying out some narrative
purpose of the author.
Static Character: a literary or dramatic character who undergoes little
or no inner change; a character who does not grow or develop.
Dynamic Character: a literary or dramatic character who undergoes
an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude.
- Definitions from: dictionary.com
16. The Development of Vis
Is Vis a round character? Is she a dynamic character? Does she have life/a
purpose outside of men?
Her entire story revolves around men; who she weds, who she sleeps with
Men in the story have other concerns; ex. Mobad goes hunting and fights
wars
Vis is a round character:
We know what she wants (Viru first, then Ramin), her background and she has a
distinct personality.
The same can however be said about Mobad and Ramin.
BUT....
17. The Development of Vis
Vis is Dynamic, more so than Mobad and Ramin
In the beginning she is basically a spoiled brat, “But, she’s so
willful now, I hardly know her, / She doesn’t like the gorgeous
robes I show her.” pg. 13
And her only act of defiance to being forced to wed Mobad is to
cry and cry and cry.
Towards the end, she is less shallow and has more clear goal in
mind. “One kiss from you, from him a hundred blows!” pg. 257
She is able to admit she’s wrong. “I hurt you, I was wrong and I
repent” pg. 445
18. The Development of Vis
Mobad doesn’t particularly change much. He starts out
as jealous and brutal and ends up jealous and brutal.
(Maybe a bit more so.)
Ramin does seem to become more mellowed out in the
end, but his change is no where near as drastic as Vis’.
19. Were The Others Developed?
Similar to Vis, Layla’s story revolves around man, who
she weds and who she loves.
Layla is also a round character.
However, she is static rather than dynamic.
20. Were The Others Developed?
Layla is restrained by the power of man (her father and
her husband).
P.81 “Layla had to listen, although her heart was almost
breaking with grief; but while her father….were present,
she dared not show it.”
P. 124 “She may thirst for blood and show the courage
of a lioness – still she remains tied to woman’s nature.”
P.163 “….she saw him (her husband) as a dragon
holding her in his jaws.”
Zulayhka experiences a spiritual growth before her
union with Yusuf.
21. Transgression, A Definition
"Transgression carries the limit right to the limit of its
being; transgression forces the limit to face the fact of
its imminent disappearance... to experience its positive
truth in its downward fall"
- Foucault pg. 60
22. Vis’ Transgressions
Does Vis transgress? Do her transgressions empower her?
Keep in mind the novel takes place in a pre-Islamic society, but is
written in an Islamic society
Vis commits adultery, a crime that is possibly punishable by
death.
She talks to Ramin despite the fact that he is not her family
nor her husband and interaction between men and women is
frowned upon/forbidden
References: The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World by Nawal El Saadawi &
Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate By Leila Ahmed
23. Vis’ Transgressions
She engages in sexuality for pleasure despite in (Christian)
pre-Islamic middle east - "sexuality [is] legitimate only for
the purposes of procreation.” (Ahmed)
She elopes, thus leaving her home despite "Proper conduct
for girls entailed that they be neither hear nor seen outside
their home.” (Ahmed)
All this is however not punished. In the end, by her long and
happy life with Ramin and her ascent into heaven, she is
rewarded.
References: The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World by Nawal El Saadawi &
Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate By Leila Ahmed
24. Transgression of Other Women
Similar to Vis, Zulaykha is attracted and loves man
other than her husband.
She seeks a sexual relationship with other man (her
slave).
Her reunion with her beloved is seen as a reward of her
transgression
Experiencing a transgression of traditional role of
women, Vis, like Zulaykha, can be grouped as one of
the “eternal feminine”.
27. Vis and Her Sexuality
Is Vis’ sexuality portrayed negatively? Is she forced into
the Madonna/Whore dichotomy?
Nurse encourages Vis's sexuality
“A noble woman spends / Her life in pleasure, with her
special friends” pg. 109
But, Vis only sleeps with one man and that is a "good"
thing…
However, the man didn't know this when he wanted to sleep
with her and his lack of knowledge of her virginity didn't
make Mobad not want to marry her.
28. Vis and Her Sexuality
Mobad does refer to Vis as a temptress
“You’re like a jewel to look at, but within / You’re
broken earthenware, you’re filth and sin” pg. 231
But Vis gets rewarded with heaven at the end, rather
than condemned or forced to reform for being
sexual/adulterous
Ultimately, her sexuality is portrayed in a positive light
29. Other Women and Sexuality
Zulayhka is depicted as a “whore”.
“Zuleikha certainly constitutes the protoype of the female
temptress, intriguing, false, lying.” (Bouhdiba, P.25)
Dispite her negative image, her behavior is rational
Zulaykha’s madness and desperate scheming are proof of
her true love; it is the kind of all consuming love...”(Dols,
P.345)
In turn, Zulaykha ‘s sexuality is portrayed in a postive light.
And, again, Vis and Zulaykha both can be seen as feminist
characters.
