Xena and the Feminist Theorists

It is important to remember from the beginning that television is fantasy, and Xena is even more fantastic than most television. It uses characters from both myth and history to tell the story of a reformed warrior princess and her female sidekick, focusing on their efforts to protect the innocent and right the wrongs that they encounter. It is also useful to remember that these characters were created by men, and much of the writing is also done by men. Yet, there is wide viewership of the show and that viewership is almost equally divided between men and women. The show also appeals to young children, as well as adults, heterosexual males, as well as lesbian women. What is the meaning of all of this?

Nancy Chodorow's focus is on the reproduction of mothering. She explored that through looking at family psychodynamics in order to understand the forces that cause women to remain within gender r

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e of a reality than previously. While Xena was the strength and the brains, Gabrielle the heart and the moral center, in earlier seasons, they have gradually taken on aspects of each other. They have been able to meld together elements of autonomy/individuation with elements of care/relationship. Ultimately, however, both make decisions in terms of relationality. They do not base decisions on laws, particularly in such lawless times as are being portrayed. Instead, they make decisions based on the perceived needs of the individuals involved, including themselves. They are contextual moralists. As Gilligan quotes Loevinger, they are moving into that fifth stage of ego development in which autonomy is placed in a context of relationships (p. 210). They understand complexity and live within real situations. For example, last year Xena had to deal with an old enemy, Callisto, who had become her enemy because Xena (as warlord) had been responsible for the death of Callisto's whole family. Xena recognized that Callisto had a real grievance, but she also recognized that Callisto had moral responsibility. Xena did not accept total responsibility for Callisto's life and choices. Instead, she was able to grieve her own past tran
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1952
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)