Gebreyesus Teklu Bahta

Progressive Gender Power Hierarchy in Seven Tigrigna Novels: Feminist Literary Perspectives Gebreyesus Teklu Bahta

The writer has attempted to describe, explain and interpret seven Tigrinya novels in the light of a feminist analysis of the historical conditions in which they were produced in order to find the major organization of ideas and values relating to power hierarchy of gender evident in economic, political, linguistic, sexual, cultural and social life of the patriarchal classification of the society. All the novels, written by both male and female novelists, except one, are found to be progressive by the explicate comments they offer and by their stylistic design. The gradual demolition of patriarchal ideology within the novels can be regarded as the symptom of the improvement of the negative stereotypical attitude towards women. The novels could be regarded as vital tools for the interpellation of the individuals into the feminist ideology with a naturalness, spontaneity and experiential immediacy. Such novelistic writing, consumption and criticism can also further promote social revolution and the social transformation of gender power hierarchy parallel to the progress of history.