Abstract
This project tests the limits of the postfeminist, as it asks whether it is possible for socially deviant behavior like drug use to fit in with the feminist and postfeminist movements. I argue that white, upper to middle-class women turn to such behavior as a means of resisting oppressive societal constraints resulting from male-dominated society. In this project, I analyze three memoirs: How to Stop Time by Ann Marlowe, Whip Smart by Melissa Febos, and Lucky by Alice Sebold. The fact that each of these memoirists chooses to use heroin yet has a strong family background, is well educated, and has a high socioeconomic status is what groups them together in this project. To answer my research question, I examine each author's narrative form and the feminist overtones of each text, and discuss how they work together to present feminist or postfeminist implications of heroin use.
Advisor
Prendergast, Maria
Department
English
Recommended Citation
Kassenbrock, Rachel, "Heroin Mystique: Feminist and Postfeminist Implications of Socially Deviant Behavior in Memoir" (2012). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 468.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/468
Disciplines
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Keywords
feminism, postfeminism, narrative, heroin
Publication Date
2012
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2012 Rachel Kassenbrock