부스 타킹턴의 여성들

영어로 읽는 고전 _ 부스 타킹턴의 여성들
부스 타킹턴의 "여성들"은 20세기 초에 쓰여진 소설입니다. 이 책은 교외 환경에서의 여성들의 삶과 역학을 탐구하며, 특히 아내와 어머니로서의 그들의 관계의 복잡성에 초점을 맞춥니다.
첫 장들은 대화에 참여하는 여성 그룹을 소개하며, 여성들이 자신의 삶, 남편들, 그리고 그들을 형성하는 사회적 기대에서 갖는 인식과 역할을 중심으로 합니다.
소설의 시작에서, 닷지 부인은 여성의 토요일 클럽에서 여성들의 삶에 초점을 맞춘 문학의 중심 주제의 필요성에 대해 의문을 제기하는 토론을 이끕니다. 그녀는 여성들의 경험이 종종 거대한 서사보다는 단편적인 에피소드로 가득 차 있다고 주장합니다.
이것은 닷지 부인, 크롬웰 부인, 그리고 배틀 부인의 렌즈를 통해 이야기가 펼쳐지면서 대인 관계 역학에 대한 더 깊은 탐구의 무대를 마련합니다. 그들은 남편들과의 관계, 사회의 기대, 그리고 자신의 정체성을 헤쳐나갑니다.
이 서사는 결혼, 충실함, 그리고 사회적 압력에 관한 그들의 생각과 행동을 섬세하게 묘사하며, 여성들의 정체성이 종종 그들 삶의 남성들과 어떻게 얽혀 있는지에 대한 비판을 암시합니다.

Classics Read in English _ Women by Booth Tarkington
In his thought-provoking novel "Women," published in the early 20th century, Booth Tarkington provides a nuanced exploration of female identity and societal expectations through the intimate portrayal of suburban women's lives. Rather than presenting a conventional narrative with dramatic plot points, Tarkington opts for a more realistic approach that mirrors the fragmented nature of women's everyday experiences.
The novel opens at a meeting of the Woman's Saturday Club, where we are introduced to a circle of articulate, thoughtful women engaged in a discussion that quickly transcends social pleasantries. Leading this intellectual exchange is Mrs. Dodge, who challenges prevailing literary conventions by questioning why women's stories must adhere to traditional narrative structures with clear central themes. She argues that women's actual lives rarely follow such neat patterns, instead consisting of episodic moments and shifting priorities that defy simplistic storytelling frameworks.
This opening conversation establishes the novel's contemplative tone and introduces its central characters: Mrs. Dodge, the intellectually curious and somewhat provocative thinker; Mrs. Cromwell, whose perspectives reflect a more traditional adherence to social norms; and Mrs. Battle, whose experiences somewhere between these positions create tension and depth in the group's dynamics. Through their interactions, Tarkington creates a microcosm of female experience in early 20th-century American suburbia.
As the narrative unfolds, Tarkington delves deeper into these women's inner lives, revealing their private thoughts about marriage, motherhood, and personal fulfillment. We witness their navigation of domestic responsibilities alongside their search for individual identity—a search complicated by a society that primarily defines women through their relationships to men. The conversations among these women serve as both a comfort and a catalyst, allowing them to articulate frustrations they cannot express elsewhere while also prompting deeper self-examination.
With remarkable psychological insight, Tarkington portrays how his female characters simultaneously conform to and resist the limitations placed upon them. The novel subtly critiques the reduction of women's identities to their roles as wives and mothers, while acknowledging the genuine value and complexity within these relationships. Through its episodic structure and thoughtful character development, "Women" offers a surprisingly modern meditation on gender roles and the universal human search for meaning and connection.

Among the contents
WE LEARNED in childhood that appearances are deceitful, and our subsequent scrambling about upon this whirling globe has convinced many of us that the most deceptive of all appearances are those of peace. The gentlest looking liquor upon the laboratory shelves was what removed the east wing of the Chemical Corporation’s building on Christmas morning; it was the stillest Sunday noon of a drowsy August when, without even the courtesy of a little introductory sputtering, the gas works blew up; and both of these disturbances were thought to be peculiarly outrageous because of the previous sweet aspects that prevented any one from expecting trouble. Yet those aspects, like the flat calm of the summer of 1914, should have warned people of experience that outbreaks were impending.
What could offer to mortal eye a picture of more secure placidity than three smiling ladies walking homeward together after a club meeting? The particular three in mind, moreover, were in a visibly prosperous condition of life; for, although the afternoon was brightly cold, their furs afforded proof of expenditures with which any moderate woman would be satisfied, and their walk led them into the most luxurious stretch of the long thoroughfare that was called the handsome suburb’s finest street. The three addressed one another in the caressively amiable tones that so strikingly characterize the élite of their sex in converse; and their topic, which had been that of the club paper, was impersonal. In fact, it was more than impersonal, it was celestial. “Sweetness and Light: Essay. Mrs. Roderick Brooks Battle”—these were the words printed in the club’s year book beneath the date of that meeting, and Mrs. Roderick Brooks Battle was the youngest of the three placid ladies.

서평(Book Review)
부스 타킹턴의 "여성들"은 20세기 초 미국 교외 사회에서 여성의 정체성과 역할에 대한 섬세한 탐구를 담은 작품입니다. 여성의 토요일 클럽 모임에서 시작되는 이 소설은 닷지 부인, 크롬웰 부인, 배틀 부인을 중심으로 여성의 삶이 단편적인 에피소드로 구성되어 있다는 관점을 제시합니다. 타킹턴은 결혼, 모성, 그리고 사회적 기대 사이에서 균형을 찾으려는 여성들의 내면 세계를 예리하게 포착하며, 여성의 정체성이 남성과의 관계를 통해 정의되는 사회적 관습에 대한 미묘한 비판을 제공합니다. 일상적 대화와 사색을 통해 펼쳐지는 이 작품은 시대를 앞서는 젠더 역할에 대한 통찰력 있는 고찰입니다.

Booth Tarkington's "Women" offers a nuanced exploration of female identity and roles in early 20th-century suburban America. Beginning at a Woman's Saturday Club meeting, the novel presents the perspective that women's lives consist of fragmented episodes rather than grand narratives through the interactions of Mrs. Dodge, Mrs. Cromwell, and Mrs. Battle. Tarkington keenly captures women's inner worlds as they navigate marriage, motherhood, and societal expectations, subtly critiquing social conventions that define female identity through relationships with men. Unfolding through everyday conversations and reflections, this work provides an insightful examination of gender roles that feels ahead of its time.