Week 7 – “Eliza Fraser Story” Schaffer

There is a lot to be commented on in this article. I found the story itself interesting, especially as it is apparently the first appearance of cultural binaries: us and them, civilized and savage. One really interesting point for me is the mutiny of the shipmates. The captain is sick, and without his strength and presence to enforce cultural rules, the hierarchy breaks down. The wife isn’t able to enforce her superiority, however much she asserted it. Once again, male domination overcomes the female, even though she is socially superior.