Female Oppression in the Name of God: A Reading of Manette Ansays Vinegar Hill in Relation to New Feminist Thought

Abstract

Manette Ansay’s works are an interesting subject for the examination of the connections between feminist theory and fiction. Her writings span four decades during which the second wave feminism has so actively de-veloped. Ansay is the author of six novels, including Good things I wish you (2009) , Midnight champagne (1999), as well as a collection of short stories and a memoir, Limbo (2001). Her awards include a National En-dowment for the Arts Grant, a Pushcart Prize, the Nelson Algren Prize and two Great Lakes Book Awards. While Ansay’s writings challenge the fixed, patriarchal roles of women, her works likewise reflect her Catholic upbringing – she grew up in Wisconsin, developed her own response to religious oppression and faced personal her struggles with her Catholic faith. Exploring the feminist issues as portrayed in Ansay’s first novel, Vinegar Hill (1994), this paper focuses on and stresses the idea of female oppression in the name of God as revealed throughout the inherited reli-gious assumptions pervading the novel.1 To understand the validity of the problems raised by Ansay, the paper will first present the ideas behind feminist theology as well as its history. This overview of the multifarious concepts which lead to the establishment of feminist theology will then facilitate the analysis of Ansay’s main protagonists and her actions.