A Feminist Stylistic Analysis of Jane Austen's Novel "EMMA"

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the linguistic and stylistic selections in representing women in Jane Austen's novel entitled Emma by describing the gender-specific words, phrases, sentences, and discourses presented in the novel and to find out the gender-specific theme as exposed in the novel. This research assessed the novel's linguistic structure regarding how women as characters are portrayed in the text and how such a framework influences real-life society. This research is a qualitative analysis in which the data collection was made through direct observation by reading the novel thoroughly, and the feminist stylistics of Sara Mills was used to interpret the data. The novel's words, phrases, sentences, and discourses that demonstrate gender-specificity constitute the research's data. Numerous vocabulary components showing gender-specific phrases are used exclusively to refer to males in general. Women's characteristics vary from men in that their physical appearance and dress preferences are emphasized. In contrast, men are more likely to be characterized by their personalities. The study may aid readers in identifying how a work encodes and portrays gender and in examining how gender is addressed in society as a whole