Mona Lisa Smile
The movie "Mona Lisa Smile" has within its plot and theme a number of examples of gender construction, and the characters play out their roles based largely on the concept of the social construction of gender. This paper will delve into how gender roles are portrayed in the film, and the paper will use available literature and critiques of the social construction of gender.
Social Construction of Gender
An article in The Feminist Agenda points out that a social construction does not just appear suddenly in the natural world; instead, a social construction is invented by or created by society. It is invented and developed through "cultural practices and norms" and as it becomes a social construct it may "govern the practices, customs, and rules concerning" the way we understand and use them (Feminist Agenda). The article explains that various social pressures work to "reinforce the idea that gender is a social construction" rather than some "essence" that originates from biology (Feminist Agenda).
Social construction of gender also means that within each of the two genders there are differences in status, in entitlement, in language, in knowledge, in attitude and in goals, among other differences. Social statuses are "carefully constructed through prescribed processes of teaching, learning, emulation, and enforcement" (Rothenberg, 2007). Indeed, Rothenberg asserts on page 56, "…gender cannot be equated with biological and physiological differences between human females and males." The "building blocks" of gender are "socially constructed statuses," and that is where the gender construction comes into play in Mona Lisa Smile. Social activities and cultural beliefs and practices eventually distinguish one character's philosophy...
Mona Lisa and the Nude Woman by Da Vinci Few paintings in history have received as much discussion, debate and parody than has Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Believed to have been painted between 1503-1506, its mystery remains locked into the wry grin that crosses the Mona Lisa's lips. This is the distinguishing feature of what may well be the most famous portrait in the world. But upon closer consideration of
He addressed her simply as "madam," refusing to grant ownership of the face he addressed to the wife of the Gioconda merchant it was rumored had modeled for the painting, querying her as to the secrets she so impishly withheld. "I have studied you, I have studied Leonardo your creator and God, and still you only smile, never so much as a whisper stirring your lips," the Emperor muttered quietly,
The controversies around her smile and eyes have generated almost as much research and debate as the painting itself. Anyone who has seen Leonardo's Mona Lisa had the illusion that the Gioconda was staring at them irrespective of their angle. There have been numerous scientists who have attempted to deconstruct this particular aspect, and explain how human sight responds to Mona Lisa's eyes. For instance, Margaret Livingstone, a professor
The theory speculates that the name Mona Lisa is actually a play on the words Amon-L Isa who is an Egyptian God and an Egyptian Goddess blended together (Why The Mona Lisa Smirks A Book Review of The Da Vinci Code by Rev. Marty Fields (http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/mar_fields/CH.Fields.WhyTheMonaLisaSmirks.7.9.04.html). While both of these theories are religiously based there is also a theory that is not based in any religion and that is the
Recently at least one mystery has been solved. A current article in Reuters Berlin states that Dr. Armin Schlechter has discovered dated notes in the margin of a book in the Heidelberg University Library that confirm that the identity of the Mona Lisa is Lisa del Giocondo wife of the wealthy Florentine merchant of those times, Francesco del Giocondo. (Elgood) Although she has always been the primary candidate, again
Da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, and studied the laws of science. He is famous for his sketches and drawing depicting the human form and fantastical devices such as flying machines that were revolutionary at the time. He was also a master painter, and his work spanned from portraits to religious works. As an apprentice for another artist, he learned a wide range of skills that would later
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