My argument will involve a feminist view point of the traditional role of women in society. This will be especially relevent in these two texts due to the historical context of when they are set - with Gatsby being set in the 1920's and Emma in 1815 - as the role of women was incredibly limited in their rights and social standing. I will explore the role of women in relation to wealth and power; how richer women had more freedom and choice than poorer women due to their ability to reject marriage proposals, whereas poor women mainly had to accept the first offer they were presented with. I will draw a conclusion from each point that I make throughout my agument, which will help me come to a final conclusion about the role of women in literature. I predict that my conclusion will be that women, in literature, tend to fall into negative stereotypes and that their texts mainly make use of traditional stereotypes rather than subverting them.
Due to the fact that my essay is an argument about whether traditional stereotypes are used or subverted in my chosen texts, I will make sure to include both sides of the argument in order to allow me to consider different view points. From this I can make a fair conclusion, using critic quotes to back up my points and to help me further develop my ideas giving me a reasonable argument to draw conclusion from.