Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part F (2024)

Gender schema theory provides a framework for understanding how individuals internalize and maintain gender roles through cognitive structures called gender schemas. These schemas influence how people perceive themselves and others in relation to their gender and influence behaviour and attitudes. This theoretical perspective offers valuable insights when examining literature, showing how texts reflect, reinforce, and challenge prevailing gender norms and stereotypes. Literature often reflects social gender schemas and presents characters and narratives that conform to or reinforce traditional gender roles. For example, classic novels often portray men as strong and women as caring, reinforcing conventional gender expectations. However, literature also serves as a platform to subvert these norms. Contemporary works question traditional gender roles by representing diverse and non-traditional gender identities, thus challenging rigid gender schemas. Therefore, this article demonstrates the use of this particular theory in several canonical literary works and how major literary figures have adapted and criticized the theory in their works.