Gaze in Literature & Literary Theory

Etymology of Gaze

The word gaze evolved from Middle English. Its roots can be traced back to the Old Norse word “gās,” which meant “goose.”

• Shift in Meaning: Over time, it acquired additional meanings related to looking or staring fixedly.
• Possibly Goose-Related: The term’s evolution may be linked to the notion of a goose’s fixed and alert gaze.
• Contemporary Definition: By the late Middle English period, it had assumed its current meaning of looking intently or steadily at something or someone.
• Academic Significance: In academic contexts, the study of the “gaze” has become a critical concept, explored in fields like film studies, gender studies, and art theory, to understand how individuals observe, interpret, and interact with visual stimuli and their surroundings.

Meanings of Gaze

Meaning	Description
To Look Intently	It refers to the act of looking at something or someone with a focused and fixed attention, often implying a deep or prolonged examination.
To Stare	Gaze also denotes a prolonged and sometimes intense stare directed toward an object, person, or scene, typically suggesting a contemplative or mesmerized state.
To Observe Closely	It implies a deliberate and careful observation of details, as in “gaze upon a work of art” or “gaze at the stars.”
To Gawk	In certain contexts, gaze is used pejoratively to describe an open-mouthed, often thoughtless, and sometimes impolite form of staring.
To Express Emotion	It conveys various emotions or intentions, such as love, longing, curiosity, admiration, or even menace, depending on the context.
A Fixed or Prolonged Look	Gaze refers to the duration or quality of a look, suggesting that it is not fleeting but enduring or persistent.
In a Theoretical Context	The term is often used in academic and critical discourse to analyze the act of looking, particularly in relation to power dynamics, gender, and cultural perspectives.

Definitions of Gaze as a Theoretical Term

1. In theoretical discourse, the term “gaze” refers to a critical concept used to analyze how individuals or groups visually engage with and interpret objects, people, or images within various cultural, social, and power contexts.
2. It also carries connotations of the observer’s subjectivity, highlighting how their perspective and the act of looking can influence perceptions, identities, and power relations, particularly in fields like film studies, gender studies, and visual culture analysis.
3. Understanding it involves examining not only what is observed but also the underlying dynamics of agency, control, and social constructs that shape how individuals see, interpret, and are seen in the visual realm.

Gaze: Theorists, Works and Arguments

Theorists:

• Laura Mulvey: Mulvey’s essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975) is foundational in feminist film theory. She introduced the concept of the “male gaze,” highlighting how cinema often objectifies women and positions the viewer in the perspective of a heterosexual male viewer.
• Michel Foucault: Foucault’s work, particularly in The Birth of the Clinic (1963) and Discipline and Punish (1975), explores the dynamics of surveillance and the gaze as a tool of power and control in disciplinary societies.

Works:

• “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” by Laura Mulvey: In this influential essay, Mulvey argues that classical Hollywood cinema constructs the male viewer as an active agent while reducing female characters to passive objects of desire, reinforcing patriarchal power structures.
• The Birth of the Clinic by Michel Foucault: Foucault examines how the gaze of medical professionals and the institution of the clinic shape the perception of illness, patients, and the medical gaze itself.

Key Arguments:

• The Male Gaze (Mulvey): Mulvey’s central argument revolves around the male gaze in cinema, suggesting that the camera and narrative position viewers as heterosexual males, leading to the objectification and fetishization of women on screen.
• Panopticism (Foucault): Foucault’s concept of the panopticon, introduced in Discipline and Punish, highlights how the constant possibility of being watched creates a self-regulating society, where individuals internalize the gaze of authority and conform to societal norms.

These theorists, works, and arguments are pivotal in th discussions surrounding this concept of and its implications in various fields, including film studies, gender studies, and the analysis of power dynamics in society.

Gaze in Literary Theories

Theory	Use in Theory
Feminist Literary Theory	Feminist literary theory often examines the “gaze” through the lens of gender and power dynamics. It explores how the narrative perspective and descriptions within texts can reinforce or subvert traditional gender roles and stereotypes. The “male gaze” as discussed by Laura Mulvey, is a central concept in this context, highlighting how male authors and readers may objectify female characters in literature.
Psychoanalytic Literary Theory	Psychoanalytic theory, particularly influenced by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, interprets the “gaze” as a reflection of psychological dynamics. It analyzes how characters’ obsessions, voyeurism, and the act of looking in literature can reveal deeper unconscious desires, anxieties, and conflicts.
Postcolonial Literary Theory	In postcolonial theory, it is used to scrutinize the colonial perspective and the power dynamics at play in colonial and postcolonial narratives. It explores how colonial literature often depicted colonized cultures as exotic “others,” emphasizing how the colonizers’ gaze impacted the representation of colonized people and landscapes.
Queer Theory	Queer theory utilizes the “gaze” to examine how sexuality and desire are portrayed in literature. It explores how characters’ looks, gazes, and the act of seeing can reveal hidden or repressed queer desires, as well as how texts may challenge or subvert traditional heteronormative representations of love and desire.
Reader-Response Theory	Reader-response theory explores how readers’ perspectives and subjectivities influence their interpretation of texts. The “gaze” is considered as an aspect of the reader’s engagement with a literary work, shaping their understanding and emotional response to characters and situations.
Postmodern Literary Theory	Postmodern literary theory engages with the “gaze” as part of a broader examination of representation, reality, and fiction. It questions the reliability of the narrator’s gaze, highlighting the potential for unreliable narrators and multiple perspectives in literature.

In each of these literary theories, it plays a significant role in the analysis of how characters, authors, and readers engage with textual and visual elements, uncovering themes related to power, desire, gender, sexuality, and

Gaze and Literary Criticism

Work	Literary Theory	Criticism Under Gaze
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen	Feminist Literary Theory	In this novel, the male gaze is critically examined through the character of Mr. Darcy and his initial judgments of Elizabeth Bennet based on her appearance. The narrative challenges traditional gender roles as Elizabeth resists the objectifying gaze and asserts her agency, contributing to feminist critique.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe	Psychoanalytic Literary Theory	Poe’s short story offers a psychoanalytic reading of the narrator’s obsession with the old man’s “vulture eye.” The gaze represents the narrator’s psychological conflict and descent into madness, showcasing how the act of looking can mirror inner turmoil and repressed desires.
“A Far Cry from Africa” by Derek Walcott	Postcolonial Literary Theory	Walcott’s poem examines the postcolonial perspective by critiquing the colonial gaze upon Africa. It underscores how the colonizer’s gaze exoticizes and objectifies colonized cultures, highlighting power imbalances and the impact of the colonizer’s gaze on identity and representation.
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg	Queer Theory	In Leslie Feinberg’s novel, the protagonist’s experiences are analyzed through queer theory, focusing on how the gaze of society often misunderstands or misrepresents Jess’s identity as a stone butch lesbian. The novel challenges traditional gender norms and heteronormative expectations through the character’s gaze upon herself and others.

Suggested Readings

Books:

1. Mulvey, Laura. Visual and Other Pleasures. Indiana University Press, 1989.
2. Jay, Martin.Downcast Eyes: The Denigration of Vision in Twentieth-Century French Thought. University of California Press, 1994.
3. Foucault, Michel. The Birth of the Clinic: An Archaeology of Medical Perception. Translated by A. M. Sheridan Smith, Routledge, 2003.
4. Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, 2006.
5. Doane, Mary Ann. The Emergence of Cinematic Time: Modernity, Contingency, the Archive. Harvard University Press, 2002.
6. Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Guattari. Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Translated by Robert Hurley et al., University of Minnesota Press, 1983.

Articles:

• Silverman, Kaja. “The Acoustic Mirror: The Female Voice in Psychoanalysis and Cinema.” Film Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 4, 1981, pp. 2-16.
• Dyer, Richard. “The Role of Stereotyping in the Imagery of Women: A Re-Examination of Some Experimental Research.” Screen, vol. 17, no. 3, 1976, pp. 2-28.
• Lacan, Jacques. “The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience.” Écrits: The First Complete Edition in English, translated by Bruce Fink, W. W. Norton & Company, 2006, pp. 1-7.