So my work has decided to be extra nice this week and give me two days off because of the massive blizzard. Woohoo! Except now I’m getting a major sense of claustrophobia…not woohoo. What to do about it? Blog post time!
Has anyone here heard of the Bechdel Test for movies? Well essentially it’s a checklist of three important factors to look out for in movies in regards to women (and you’d be surprised how few times the goal is met).
And the checklist goes:
1. It has to have at least 2 women in it (and the women have to be named);
2. Who talk to each other; and
3. About something besides a man.
Now this checklist seems simple enough but really once you start thinking about the popular movies out now it becomes surprisingly difficult to check off all three of these. Just take a look at the link I provided up above! Although, I must say, I looked at this list about a year ago and it is looking better…
Anyway, I figured, on this lovely snowy day, that I’d try to apply this to the last 6 books I’ve read and reviewed. Just for a fun little test.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
1. Does it have at least 2 women in it?
Most certainly yes. Many many female characters.
2. Do they talk to each other?
Constantly!
3. About something besides a man?
While they do talk a lot about men, they also talk about other things, such as Mary’s crabbing about not being able to go to dinner because her son is sick and then shoving him off on Anne. And of course Anne and Mrs. Smith’s conversations.
So Persuasion, I would say, passes the Test with flying colors. Next!
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
1. Does it have at least 2 women in it?
That's a negative! At least not named women to my recollection
Whomp whomp. Failed right out of the gate. Next!
