SUPERWOMAN A BREAKTHROUGH FROM CONVENTIONAL VICTORIAN SOCIETY IN SHAWS MAN AND SUPERMAN

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14      10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14      Published : Mar 2025
Authored by : Naima Noreen , Sonia Gul , Aminah Ali

14 Pages : 137-142

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14      10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14      Published : Mar 2025

Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman"

    This research explores G.B. Shaw's play “Man and Superman” through Jacques Derrida's theoretical lens of Deconstruction and Eugenic feminism. Traditionally, in the novel, the protagonist Ann Whitefield is labeled as a liar, bully, hypocrite, and coquette, which led critics to view Shaw as antifeminist. However, this study argues that Shaw’s portrayal of Ann Whitefield reflects a subversive and progressive feminist vision that refuses and contradicts Victorian norms of ideal womanhood. Shaw dismantles gender binaries by presenting Ann not as a passive woman, but as a dominant, intellectually superior Figure a Superwoman. This study repositions Shaw as a pioneering feminist thinker who critiques patriarchal norms and envisions women as active architects of evolutionary and societal progress. This study concludes that Shaw dismantles traditional male-female binaries and highlights Ann's agency in emphasizing women's crucial roles in reproduction and social leadership, thus underscoring her transformative impact on both personal and societal evolution.

    George Bernard Shaw, Eugenic Feminism, Man And Superman, 19th-Century Traditional Society, Theory of Deconstruction
    (1) Naima Noreen
    MS English, Department of English, Foundation University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (2) Sonia Gul
    Lecturer, Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (3) Aminah Ali
    Visiting Faculty, Department of English, Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Cite this article

    APA : Noreen, N., Gul, S., & Ali, A. (2025). Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman". Global Sociological Review, X(I), 137-142. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14
    CHICAGO : Noreen, Naima, Sonia Gul, and Aminah Ali. 2025. "Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman"." Global Sociological Review, X (I): 137-142 doi: 10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14
    HARVARD : NOREEN, N., GUL, S. & ALI, A. 2025. Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman". Global Sociological Review, X, 137-142.
    MHRA : Noreen, Naima, Sonia Gul, and Aminah Ali. 2025. "Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman"." Global Sociological Review, X: 137-142
    MLA : Noreen, Naima, Sonia Gul, and Aminah Ali. "Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman"." Global Sociological Review, X.I (2025): 137-142 Print.
    OXFORD : Noreen, Naima, Gul, Sonia, and Ali, Aminah (2025), "Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman"", Global Sociological Review, X (I), 137-142
    TURABIAN : Noreen, Naima, Sonia Gul, and Aminah Ali. "Superwoman: A Breakthrough from Conventional Victorian Society in Shaw's "Man and Superman"." Global Sociological Review X, no. I (2025): 137-142. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2025(X-I).14