Language and gender ideologies: A feminist stylistic analysis of Monica Ali's Brick Lane and In the Kitchen
Özet
This thesis aims to explore the way gender ideologies are represented in language through a feminist stylistic analysis of Monica Ali's two novels, Brick Lane and In the Kitchen. The characterizations of the protagonists are analysed in line with the arguments of critical linguistics, which highlights the close relation between language and ideology. The analysis was conducted at the level of the clause based on the systems of modality and transitivity, drawn from M.A.K. Halliday's functional grammar theory, and the findings were interpreted in accordance with the ideologies related with gender. The analysis of Brick Lane demonstrates that the fatalistic ideology, which is encoded in the deontic modality system (the expression of duty), makes women submissive and powerless; moreover, women's disempowerment is reflected in the transitivity choices (the encoding of experience). However, the analysis of the protagonists' language also demonstrates that it is possible to transcend these restrictive ideologies and adopt an emancipatory language. In a similar vein, the analysis of In the Kitchen reveals that contradictory ideologies on gender issues are encoded in the modality choices, and that an analysis of modality can uncover the contradictions in one's values and beliefs. Furthermore, the transitivity analysis exposes the questions of agency and free will with regard to acting in accordance with or against one's values related to gender issues. This study concludes that a systematic analysis into the modality and transitivity choices in texts can underpin and justify our interpretations concerning ideology.