In this blog post, we’ll explore the formation process and characteristics of feminine writing, as well as the insights we can gain from it.
The Birth and Formation of Feminine Writing
In 1859, the novel ‘Adam Bede’, published under the name George Eliot, was released in the United Kingdom. Since George Eliot was not a well-known figure at the time, people were curious about her true identity. However, “George Eliot” was merely a pen name; the actual author was Mary Ann Evans. She explained that she used a male pen name because, at the time, there was a widespread prejudice that works written by women were merely low-quality romance novels, and she hoped readers would evaluate the work itself without such preconceptions.
So, are writings by women and those by men fundamentally different? There are works written by women that feel as though they were written by men, and conversely, there are works written by men that feel as though they were written by women. Such characteristics are often described as “feminine.” The Korean dictionary defines “feminine” as “possessing the qualities of a woman.”
If, while reading a piece, we get the impression that it was written by a woman, we can refer to that writing style as “feminine writing.” Of course, not all writing by women is feminine writing, and men can also produce works that exhibit the characteristics of feminine writing. Therefore, it is appropriate to understand feminine and masculine writing as writing styles that possess certain characteristics and tendencies. So how did this “feminine writing” come to be? Furthermore, what can we discover in this style of writing, and what lessons can we learn from it? Let’s examine these questions step by step.
First, let’s consider the differences between feminine and masculine writing. To understand this, we need to first consider feminine and masculine language. Since writing is expressed through language, differences in writing are also linked to differences in language use. So, how did these differences come about? While it may be because women and men possess inherently different characteristics, the experience of growing up in different social environments has likely also played a significant role.
Simone de Beauvoir famously said:
“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”
From birth, people often grow up under different social expectations based on their gender. For example, in the past, it was common for boys to play with robots and girls with dolls. Such social environments naturally led children to learn the roles expected of them by society. Since language is a crucial means of expressing one’s thoughts and experiences, different upbringings can give rise to distinct linguistic characteristics. Ultimately, these differences are reflected in writing, which can lead to certain distinctions in the expressive styles of “feminine” and “masculine” writing.
However, historically, feminine writing emerged later than masculine writing. In the past, women’s educational opportunities and social participation were severely limited, so the environment necessary for women to express their experiences in writing was not sufficiently established. In contrast, the writing of men, who enjoyed relatively greater educational opportunities, came to form the core of society first. Furthermore, many languages have long reflected a male-centered perspective. For example, the fact that “man” in English has historically been used to refer to both males and humanity as a whole serves as one illustration of this trend. It was against this social backdrop that feminine writing emerged, and this had a significant influence on the formation of its characteristics.
Susan Lanser described feminine writing as a way for female writers to circumvent or critique the male-centered social order. Within the established male-centered writing tradition, female writers chose to actively express their own experiences and sensibilities. Rather than emphasizing logic alone, they incorporated emotions, experiences, imagery, and the significance of relationships, thereby developing their own distinctive writing styles.
What characteristics can be found in feminine writing?
So, what can we discover in this form of feminine writing that has been established?
First is a critique of existing male-centered values. In an era when feminine writing was rare, literature often reflected a male-centered perspective. As such works became widely read, readers tended to naturally accept the male-centered values revealed in them.
This phenomenon has an even greater impact because literary works depict reality through everyday language. Since literature mostly deals with our daily lives, it uses language that is familiar to readers. It is precisely because of this familiarity that authors—whether intentionally or not—naturally convey the values within their works to readers. This is because expressions and ideas encountered repeatedly can influence the reader’s way of thinking.
Female authors viewed this phenomenon critically. They viewed existing literature as a mechanism that could reproduce male-centered values throughout society and attempted to write works that questioned the various notions that traditional literature had taken for granted.
Second is the challenge to social order, institutions, and conventional wisdom. Female characters in feminist writing no longer remain the submissive and passive figures commonly seen in past works. Just as “feminine writing” emerged as women gained access to education and increased their participation in society, female characters in literature also began to transform into active agents who make their own life choices.
These characters, acting on behalf of the authors, challenge various social institutions and customs. They resist the obedience imposed by men and question male-centered social norms.
Let us take Anne Elliott, the protagonist of Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’, as an example. At first, Anne accepts Mrs. Russell’s advice and breaks off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, the man she loved, on the grounds that he lacked prospects. However, when she meets Wentworth again some time later, she has changed from her former self. She had grown into a person capable of making her own choices, rather than someone who entrusted her life to the judgments of others. Ultimately, Anne chose to marry Wentworth of her own free will. This can be interpreted as a challenge to the social convention of the time that “it is most important for a woman to marry into a good family.”
Furthermore, when Wentworth states in the novel that women would have a hard time living on a ship and should therefore not come aboard, Mrs. Croft counters that women are just as capable of living on a ship as men. This can be seen as a critique of the chivalric spirit and social attitudes of the time, which sought to restrict women’s activities under the pretext of protecting them.
Third, the work actively reveals women’s long-suppressed desires. In the past, it was often taboo for women to express their sexual desires or even discuss sex. Female authors began to challenge these taboos and actively incorporate women’s desires and needs into their works.
In this regard, some works present female bisexuality as a case in point. French feminist theorist Hélène Cixous stated the following:
“Bisexuality is the origin and goal of our humanity, and perhaps only heroic individuals can reclaim it.”
From this perspective, some feminist theories have understood bisexuality as one of the natural possibilities of human existence and have treated it as a significant topic. The bisexuality discussed here is often described not as a concept opposed to homosexuality, but as a more open concept that does not limit sexual relationships to specific norms.
This perspective often appears in the works of female authors. In Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’, the protagonist Clarissa grows up in an oppressive environment during her childhood. To her, Sally emerges as a special person with whom she can freely express her emotions and desires. When Clarissa recalls her past, she remembers the moments she spent with Sally as her happiest memories; in particular, her kiss with Sally remains a vital memory that sustains her later life.
Additionally, Marguerite Duras’s ‘The Lover’ features scenes in which women’s desires and emotions are expressed directly.
“……In that room on the Chinese street where I go every evening—where my understanding of God deepens—just as he devours my breasts, I want to devour Hélène Lagonelle’s breasts. I want to swallow her wheat-flower-like breasts whole.”
This, too, can be understood as one example of expressing female desire beyond existing taboos.
In summary, while women’s writing emerged within an unfavorable social environment, it did not stop at merely accepting that environment as it was. Rather, through modes of expression distinct from conventional writing styles, women sought to break free from the social conventions that bound them, and they embedded in their works the message that existing stereotypes surrounding women must change. In other words, women did not resign themselves to their reality; instead, they developed their own unique style of writing as a way to challenge existing social norms.
The message this conveys to us today remains significant. Although women’s rights and social status have greatly improved compared to the past, it is difficult to say that gender equality has been fully realized. In South Korea and many other countries around the world, efforts to expand gender equality in various fields—including politics, the economy, and employment—are ongoing, and meaningful changes have been achieved in many areas. However, challenges that still need to be addressed remain, such as the gender pay gap in the workplace, career interruptions, the imbalance in care work, and social stereotypes.
For this reason, we need to listen closely to the voices of women and pay attention to what female writers are expressing through their language. As we have seen in the development of feminine writing, women have not merely accepted reality but have expressed, through language, their determination to change it. If one of the key functions of language is communication between people, then feminine writing serves as a meaningful example that demonstrates the potential of language to reflect on society and transform it for the better.
