| dc.description.abstract | This thesis is a close reading of Greta Gerwig´s Little Women (2019) and Barbie (2023), aiming to investigate how Gerwig presents us with a narrative that contradicts the established stories that have contributed to constructing a specific image of how to be a woman. The thesis will deal with the idea of Woman as a concept constructed by social and cultural factors, with a particular focus on the two main stages in a female life, that is, girlhood and womanhood. I will use the concepts of girlhood and womanhood to explore how women are told stories that teach us how to behave, think and live. This will show how Gerwig´s narratives function to unmask traditional gender norms and challenge patriarchy. The theoretical framework in which this investigation will be performed centers on feminist theory and gender as a performative concept, with a historical overview of how cinema has narrated stories about each gender. To address how Gerwig is changing the narrative the thesis will unpack how the protagonists in Little Women (2019) and Barbie (2023) navigate their own stories and the expectations placed upon them by the narrative found society during two different centuries. By analyzing various scenes, characters, and structures such as the home, the thesis will illuminate how Gerwig presents the narrative of traditional gender roles and how she challenges patriarchy by doing so. Ultimately, the close reading will reveal how Gerwig sets an example of how one can change the narratives and create one´s own story. | |