Feminism and femininity in H.G. Wells’ Ann Veronica: A Feminist Literary Criticism

ABSTRACT

Ann Veronica is a novel that tells about the main character of Ann Veronica. The novel deals with contemporary political issues, concentrating specifically on feminist issues. In the course of the action the heroine, aggressive and naïve girl into a representative of the mature woman. Wells portrays the attitudes of Edwardian England, in particular those of the strict father and boyfriends who are completely unable to understand why a woman should want to be independent, study science, have the right to vote, and so on. It was impressive to be analyzed. H.G. Wells' Ann Veronica was a very controversial novel when it was published in October 1909. A year before, the novel was rejected by Macmillan publishers. It raised direct responses both pro and contra in the same month. As early as October 4, 1909, Scott-James in the Daily Review made a complimentary comment that it is an excellent novel because the characters gradually grow into vital personalities.

Concerning to the topic in Ann Veronica about Ann’s rebellion against the patriarchal society, the researcher is curious to know what are the aspects Ann’s feminism and femininity, and similarities- differences both of them. Hence, the discussion will find out the aspect of two significant characteristics of Ann Veronica which has closely related to the patriarchal binary concept.

This analysis uses feminist literary criticism, because it deals with aspects of feminism and femininity of the main female character which lives in patriarchal system.

After conducting the research, it shows a reflection of women condition in Victorian Era in which women’s position is under male authority. In Ann Veronica, Ann is portrayed as a woman who has high-idealism in her adulthood; she tries to rebels the norms of her father’s rules. Her character which is very energetic and aggressive reflected in the first of the story which named by feminism aspects, those appears the contradictory to the male authority that has dominated the world or usually we called as the patriarchal system. Refusing to be treated under male domination, Ann rebels all the customs and traditions including her father’s rules so that she struggles hard to fight for the hope of freedom and liberty as a woman by escaping to London for getting work and high education It is because Ann experienced the process of adulthood; she is determinant and persistent with her goals that she can find the work and education. In the middle of story, Ann’s characters gradually grow into vital personalities. Ann is aware about her character of feminine as a woman. She begins to love her professor so, she changes into an ideal feminine woman who is aware with all of beautiful things and wants to be a wife of Capes in order to become mother for her children. As a woman, Ann is not only has feminism characteristics, but also she has a significant character which cannot be separated at all from her natural tendency as a woman, it called by femininity. Finally, the researcher comes up with the result that there is a concept of patriarchal binary thought in feminism and femininity’s Ann Veronica.