THE NATURE OF WOMEN AS REVEALED THROUGH ANGLO-AMERICAN ANTI-PROVERBS
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Abstract
For centuries, proverbs have provided a framework for endless transformation. In the last few decades they have been perverted and parodied so extensively that their variations have been sometimes heard more often than their original forms. Wolfgang Mieder has coined the term “Antisprichwort” (anti-proverb) for such deliberate proverb innovations (also known as alterations, parodies, transformations, variations, wisecracks, mutations, or fractured proverbs) and has published several collections of anti-proverbs in German and English. Women are undoubtedly one of the most frequent themes in Anglo-American anti-proverbs. Similarly to traditional Anglo-American proverbs in general (for example, A woman’s place is in the home; A woman, a dog and a walnut tree: the more you beat them, the better the be; Women and dogs cause too much strife; Women are the devil’s net; Women are the root of all evil), the overwhelming majority of proverb parodies are also antifeminist and demeaning to women. The present
article makes an attempt to answer the following question: How is the nature of women revealed through Anglo-American anti-proverbs?
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References
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