Feminism, women and sitcoms... oh my! : feminist representation on the Donna Reed Show and Rosanne
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Meeting name
Sponsors
Date
Journal Title
Format
Thesis
Subject
Abstract
This study aims to illuminate the relationship between feminism and the main female characters on primetime sitcoms (The Donna Reed Show and Roseanne) when the star is also the producer. Through textual analysis and historical research, this thesis analyses plot lines, family interactions and the main female character's role to answer four research questions: (1) How is a main female character represented on the primetime sitcoms, The Donna Reed Show and Roseanne? (2) How does the main female character's role compare to the assumed gender roles of the time? (3) How do the main characters and shows depict feminist ideas? (4) How does The Donna Reed Show's female representation and feminist ideas compare to Roseanne's? The resulting comparison sheds light on female representation on television, specifically motherhood.Findings illustrate the consequences of a male dominated industry, the successful use of comedy and wit to illustrate feminist ideals and push the boundaries of traditional domestic sitcoms and the complexities of feminist texts.
Table of Contents
DOI
PubMed ID
Degree
M.A.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.