Cinderella Goes to War? Phallocentrism and Pseudo-feminism in a Fairy Tale Dystopia (Based on the Example of „Cinderella Is Dead” by Kalynn Bayron) Cover Image

Kopciuszek idzie na wojnę? Fallocentryzm a pseudofeminizm w baśniowej dystopii (na przykładzie „Cinderella Is Dead” Kalynn Bayron)
Cinderella Goes to War? Phallocentrism and Pseudo-feminism in a Fairy Tale Dystopia (Based on the Example of „Cinderella Is Dead” by Kalynn Bayron)

Author(s): Kinga Matuszko
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Gender Studies, Other Language Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: fairy tale; pseudo-feminism; battle with patriarchy; retelling; „Cinderella”; Kalynn Bayron

Summary/Abstract: The article analyzes pseudo-feminist ways of creating female characters and the world presented in the novel Cinderella Is Dead (2022) by Kalynn Bayron, which is a reinterpretation of Cinderella. By transforming a known history, the authoress wants to participate in discourses calling for inclusiveness and equality of worldviews. To do so, she introduces various refractions: emphasizes women’s agency and their pursuit of self-determination, and changes the protagonist’s skin color and sexual orientation. She exposes features commonly associated with feminism, which often has the opposite effect, and the work itself can be interpreted as pseudo-feminist. This is particularly visible in measures such as demonizing men or the lack of positive male figures, as well as superficial and instrumental treatment of issues important to feminism. Attention was also paid to the phenomenon of blackwashing, which in the novel is primarily a marketing trick and an expression of cultural fashion.

  • Issue Year: 2024
  • Issue No: 6
  • Page Range: 1-13
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish
Toggle Accessibility Mode