The Portrayal of Women and Men in Charles Bukowski’s Fiction

• Název práce v češtině: Pojetí žen a mužů v díle Charlese Bukowského
• Název v anglickém jazyce: The Portrayal of Women and Men in Charles Bukowski’s Fiction
• Klíčová slova: Charles Bukowski, pohlaví, šovinismus, politika, umělecká svoboda
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Charles Bukowski, gender, chauvinism, politics, artistic freedom
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2013/2014
• Typ práce: bakalářská práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Ústav anglofonních literatur a kultur (21-UALK)
• Vedoucí / školitel: Mgr. Pavla Veselá, Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno a potvrzeno stud. odd.
• Datum přihlášení: 24.09.2014
• Datum zadání: 24.09.2014
• Schválení administrátorem: zatím neschvalováno
• Datum potvrzení stud. oddělením: 08.10.2014
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 07.09.2015 00:00
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 07.08.2015
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 07.09.2015
• Odevzdaná/finalizovaná: odevzdaná studentem a finalizovaná
• Oponenti: doc. Justin Quinn, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

Len Fulton critiqued Bukowski’s portrayal of women in the following way: “Bukowski’s antics with women, his thoughts about them are one vast and sniggering cliché […]. They are a joke to him […] Inside the web of his booze-bull-and-broad exploits lurks a demon sexual jingoist, erupting and irrupting in self-punishing concatenations; hostile, frustrated, pugilistic-fearful of the role into which (he thinks) one is cast by the fate of genitalia.”[1]On the other hand, Bukowski defended his stance: “They think I'm a woman hater, but I'm not. A lot of it is word of mouth. They just hear "Bukowski's a male-chauvinist pig," but they don't check the source. Sure I make women look bad sometimes, but I make men look bad too. I make myself look bad. If I really think it's bad, I say it's bad -- man, woman, child, dog. The women are so touchy, they think they're being singled out. That's their problem.[2]
On the one hand, Bukowski could be accused of a perfect example of chauvinism right here in his own defence, on the grounds of calling women ‘touchy,’ i.e. ascribing stereotypes to them. However, many critics such as Russell Harrison have come to his defence and for example tried to explain his stance on the grounds of him having had an unfortunate relationship with his mother. In addition, it cannot be argued that literature should be separated from the political life, and it may be no coincidence that the early outrage against Bukowski came right in the time of the feminist movement. Yet, above all, literature should be judged on the grounds of artistic and literary merits.
This thesis strives to avoid presumption of Bukowski’s personal sentiments and views, and instead focuses on the written word itself. However, in order to do so, we must begin by considering the critiques which accused Bukowski of chauvinism as well as those that defended him. Then, this thesis will briefly establish the merits and demerits of Bukowski’s novels in their historic and political context. Having considered the critiques as well as the context, I will analyse in turn female and male characters. This part shows that irrespective of the alleged animosity of Bukowski towards women in general, he could not have written the works as he did without using the female characters as he did to deliver his message. Essentially, this thesis is a defence of Bukowski’s artistic right to write and develop the stories as he chose, irrespective of what he may have himself believed.
[1] Len Fulton, “See Bukowski Run,” Small Press Review 4 (1972). Qtd. in Russell Harrison, Against the American Dream: Essays on Charles Bukowski (Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow P., 1994) 183.
[2] Bukowski: Born into This, dir. John Dullaghan, 2003, 1h, 16min.

Seznam odborné literatury

Primary Sources:
Bukowski, Charles. Women. London: Virgin Books, 2009.
Bukowski, Charles. Notes of a Dirty Old Man. San Francisco: City Lights, 1969.

Secondary Sources:
Brewer, Gay. Charles Bukowski. New York: Twayne, 1997.
Bukowski: Born into This. Dir. John Dullaghan. Prod. Diane Markrow, John McCormick.Magnolia Pictures, 2003. Youtube.
Charlson, David. Charles Bukowski: Autobiographer, Gender Critic, Iconoclast. Victoria: Trafford, 2005.
Fulton, Len. “See Bukowski Run.” Small Press Review 4 (April 1973).
Harrison, Russell. Against the American Dream: Essays on Charles Bukowski. Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow P., 1994.
Knights, Ben. Writing Masculinities: Male Narratives in Twentieth-Century Fiction. New York: St. Martin’s, 1999.
Locklin, Gerald. Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet. Sudbury, MA: Water Row Press, 1995.
Miles, Barry. Charles Bukowski. Trans. Ladislav Šenkyřík. Praha: VOLVOX GLOBATOR, 2008.
---. “Introduction.” Women. By Charles Bukowski. London: Virgin Books, 2009.
Smith, Jules. Art, Survival and So Forth: The Poetry of Charles Bukowski. East Yorkshire, U.K: Wrecking Ball Press, 2000.