As a graduate student in Humanities at the University of Chicago, Elizabeth Berlinger found herself reading a lot of poetry by women. “It wasn’t by design,” she says. “But when I realized this was happening, I began to look for patterns and common themes among the works I was studying.” These days, Berlinger conveys her fascination with writing by women in English 353—“Women in Literature”—which she teaches as an adjunct lecturer in BMCC’s English Department.
“There are different ways to organize a survey course like this—by theme or subject matter, for example,” she says. “I take a chronological approach, beginning with Sappho, the ancient Greek poet, and proceeding through medieval times, the Victorian era and the 20th Century to the present day.” In that way, she says, “we’re able to gain an historical perspective and see how each artist built on the work of those who came before her.”
A lot of ground to cover
Every era has its stars—from Marie de France and Julia of Norwich, who provided insights into daily life in the Middle Ages, to 20th- and 21st-Century pioneers like Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Toni Morrison.
“Because we have to cover so much in a short time, I try to choose a variety of genres—poetry, memoirs and essays, and fiction as well as non-fiction,” Berlinger says. “The idea is to provide at least a taste of many historical periods, cultures and ethnic groups.” Admittedly, some works, particularly the older ones, are more accessible and easier to relate to than others. “While it is sometimes possible to approach the works on a purely artistic level,” she notes, “it often helps to contextualize them as much as possible—to view them against the historical and cultural climate of the time.”
Even so, certain interlocking themes emerge time and again, irrespective of when the writer lived. “We look at the suppression of women and its impact on them personally and professionally,” Berlinger says. “We look at the constraints traditionally imposed by marriage and family, conceptions of sexuality and identity, how women envision God, and even psychological issues such as madness and mental health.”
Strong responses
The readings often elicit passionate reactions from the students, ranging from pride in the accomplishments of women to anger about the injustices they have suffered. “The emotional reactions and personal stories students bring to our classroom discussions—often in response to writers they are experiencing for the first time—are an invaluable part of the course,” Berlinger says.
Perhaps not surprisingly, enrollment in “Women in Literature” is predominantly female. “But the men who have taken the course have been every bit as vocal as the women,” says Berlinger. “Their perspective makes for a richer classroom experience.”
