“The Queen’s Twin”: Sarah Orne Jewett’s Material 
Feminist Interpretation

Riping Liao

doi:10.70711/rcha.v2i8.5347

“The Queen’s Twin”: Sarah Orne Jewett’s Material Feminist Interpretation

Riping Liao

Abstract

Material feminism, proposed by Stacy Alaimo, is another ecological critique theory put forward by female scholars following
ecofeminism. It combines feminist theory with materiality, nature, and the body. This paper analyzes the natural imagery in “The Queen’s
Twin” by Sarah Orne Jewett, such as the “land, ” “alders, ” “the queen’s pictures, ” and “Mrs. Martin’s house, ” to elucidate concepts of material feminism like the agency of nature and trans-corporeality. It highlights the agency of non-human and inanimate materials. The natural materials portrayed by Jewett make us understand that nature is not merely an object to be controlled by humans; they have their own thoughts
and actions, capable of influencing humans. The queen’s pictures and Mrs. Martin’s house acts freely within the “trans-corporeal space” constructed by Jewett, subtly directing Mrs. Martin’s daily life.

Keywords

“The Queen’s Twin”; Material Feminism; The agency of nature; Trans-corporeality

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References

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/rcha.v2i8.5347

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