Mary Queen's "Genders and Authors" discusses the important issue of gender and authorship.  She retells a story that concerned a student who would refer to the female author she was reading at the time, as "he".  This story sets-up the narrative behind the article and how the masculine dominant culture has run institutions while largely ignoring the female perspective.  The account given by Queen showcases the deep rooted problems of a male dominant society and through her student, everyday individuals partake and without thought, support a male-oriented society.

I cannot exclaim that I have confused gender pronouns.  Though, I have referred to a group of people which consisted of both males and females as "guys".  I try to avoid such terms, especially in circumstances mentioned afore.  This example should demonstrate how a single term can shade the lines of gender.  As the lines of gender are diminished, one's identity is also diminished.  I have also heard individuals greet each other by saying "hello people".  This is an overt attempt to generalize one's audience, without noting one gender over another.  Non-gender neutral language exists within daily conversation.  This speaks to the larger idea that masculine attitudes have been imbedded into our thoughts and actions with few people raising it to be a critical issue.          

The reasons for such rhetoric as Queen explains stems from much deeper roots.  "These larger relationships are mediated by historical, economic, political, educational, religious, and social conceptions of authority, which in turn, authorizes the author(s) (102).

Queen mentions the Declaration of Independence and states the importance it carries for colonial America.  Its rhetoric states the integral role that an equal role for all men could have on society.  The faults of such lines appear notably today, but these words are only reflecting a time period that agreed upon certain attitudes not commonly shared as they once were.  Queen continues to describe how authorship has been shaped and modeled by white-male individuals.  These ideals have not only influenced the thought process of future writers, but also young minds who wish to learn and appreciate literature.  It is these ideals that have allowed individuals to unintentionally view the texts from a male lens.

As most people read texts, their relationship with the author is non-existent.  They do not correlate the story with the author, and therefore the shape of the conversation regarding the text does not include one shaped by the author.  This point is crucial, for individuals who wish to examine a text, cannot thoroughly do so without also considering the role the author has had in shaping the story, along with what the author considers to be the essential points behind the text.  This allows for a deeper understanding and appreciation for the text.  The counter point of course would be Barthes; as an author publishes their work, they are no longer relevant to that particular piece.  Though, when taking gender into perspective, an author's background and life experiences should be noted.  Especially, if one has struggled to tell their story because of their race, gender and/or economic background.  Furthermore, a study on pure minority writers would only support the notion of the struggles a certain group has faced.  Therefore, a study of a mixed group of texts might better represent the situation better by demonstrating that the white, male orientated perspective has overpowered all other perspectives in a historical point of view.      


After reading a particular text, does viewing it from a feminist point of view change the significance of the text?