1. Feminist Criticism on the novel Charlotte Gray
By Kevin Shen

2. Author Sebastian Faulks Born in 1953 British novelist and journalist
Won many awards: British Book Awards
Work: Bridsong (1993)

3. What is feminist criticism?
Play the video [2 mins]

4. Feminist Criticism
Feminist criticism is literary criticism that deals exclusively with female characters, women’s issues and how the female roles in a story, novel or play affect the plot and other characters.

5. Movie Trailer The novel Charlotte Gray is later made into a movie
Play the trailer [2 mins]

6. Charlotte Gray Plot Summary
Meets up with Peter and falls in love
Peter’s plane is lost over France
Charlotte resigns her job and gets training to become a spy
She goes to France to complete missions and sets out to find Peter’s whereabouts
Meets the French resistance contact, Julian

7. Plot Summary (cont’d) Completes many missions
Passes secret messages
Blows up the Nazi’s trains
Has a complex relationship with Julian
Can’t trace Peter, so comes back
Later, Peter manages to escape and returns to England
They reunite in the end

8. Character Analysis Charlotte
Unlike most stereotypical female at the time
Strong
“all this time she had lost sight of Peter’s face in her mind, [then] suddenly in her dream it had been cruelly restored” (Faulks, 162)
Determined
“my love, don’t worry, I’, coming to get you” (Faulks, 102)

9. Character Analysis (cont’d)
Peter
Handsome British Royal Air Force airman
Not much about him in the novel
Julian
Charlotte’s contact (the French Resistance)
Warmhearted (like to help people)
Strong

10. Activity
Divide into groups of 4, 5 people, create a 30 seconds mini-skit that shows how women were portrayed in the 1940’s or in modern times. You have 3-5mins to prepare.